Page 310 - Perú indígena y virreinal

In the sandy environment of the Paracas peninsula, with its typically dry desert conditions, the two most important cultures of southern coastal Peru grew up—the Paracas and the Nasca. The first, as we have already stated is the older of the two, with two important periods in its development known as the Cavern phase and the Necropolis Phase, both in reference to burial rites. Given the dryness of the soil and the almost total absence of rain fall in this area, the delicate fabrics used to wrap bodies that then deposited in well-like tombs during the Cavern Phase and to cover mummies in the Necropolis Phase have been largely kept in an excellent state of conservation. The fabric weavers of Paracas made many different types of garments— rugs, cloaks, capes, uncus or shirts as well as tapestries, generally decorated with anthropomorphic and geometrical designs, and with stunning, brightly coloured embroidered hems.
Similarly bright colours were also applied to the region’s pottery, upon whose polished surfaces polychromatic supernatural creatures were represented, a clear foretaste of the exquisite Nasca ceramics that would come later.
Nasca culture extended its dominion across the valleys of the Rivers Chincha, Pisco, Ica, Nasca and Acari, keeping up the same Peruvian tradition of introducing important innovations into their artistic world. Renowned for its famous geoglyphs—enormous figures outlined on the ground in the desert region of Pampa del Ingenio—they are also well known for their ceramic work which features moving representations of human beings, usually tattooed, as well as extremely complicated zoo-anthropomorphic depictions of mythical creatures, abstract geometric forms and a selection of marine species, notably unsettling representations of the orca or killer whale, complete with trophy-like heads on its fins and fish decorations on its body.
To the south of Lake Titicaca, at more than 3,800m above sea level, the Tiwanaku culture emerged. Like the Chavin, Tiwanacotan artists were masters of monumental sculpture and relief, creating characters with stylised faces and with a rigid appearance in addition to geometrical designs that were used in other stone supports pertaining to the movable art.
Some years earlier and more to the northeast of Lake Titicaca, Pukara culture had emerged, of which important details remain unknown, both historical and relating to the interpretation of their iconography, much of which resembles that of the Chavin. Among their most important artistic achievements, their sculpture in stone and ceramic work stands out, mainly the recipients with etched out with deep incisions and a dramatic use of colour. The extinction of this culture in the 3rd Century AD resulted in the domination of the Tiwanaku all over the Lake Titicaca region.
the legendary arts [500–1450]
Cristina Vidal Lorenzo
The so-called legendary arts in ancient Peru belong to an extensive time period made up of two phases. The first was dominated by the rapid expansion of the Wari and Tiwanaku over a large part of the Andes, shifting socio-political control that had, until then, been in the hands of the Mochican and Nascan cultures, whilst the second, from the year 1000 onwards, was characterised more by the formation of small, regional states or kingdoms, which, from an artistic standpoint at least, came to enjoy great fame. We are referring to the Lambayeque, Cimu and Chancay coastal cultures.
The heart of Wari culture was situated on the western slopes of the Ayacucho Valley, at an altitude of almost 3,000m above sea level. In this dry environment, with land that does not easily lend itself to agriculture, its inhabitants founded Wari, a city which would, in time, become the capital of one of the first states in the Andes with a centralised government. Judging from its archaeological remains and literary sources from the Spanish colonial period, it was a spacious city with large, walled-off neighbourhoods, each dedicated to
separate activities and with differing functions. This concept of town planning was also adopted by other settlements under Wari control, and later, by other cultures.
Ushpa Qoto was, presumably, the potter’s neighbourhood, whose output was characterised by its great stylistic and iconographic variety, the fruit of the influence of cultural traditions from the southern coasts, in the form of the Nasca, the Lake Titicaca basin and the Tiwanaku as well as local influences from the region, as was the case with the Huarpa.
Among the most representative ceramic ware, the sculptural receptacles stand out, typically produced in the form of animals, above all, the llama, which was to be found grazing all over the Ayacucho region. These had wide, glass-like necks and were brightly coloured, as were the anthropomorphic jugs and pitchers of the period. The most important of these came from Pacheco, on the southern coast, where we find depictions of characters with detailed faces and hands, the rest of the body being represented with geometrical designs.
The expansion of the Wari territories was only possible thanks to the use of military force, capable of conquering other territories in the Central Andes in search of whatever was necessary in order to satisfy the needs of an ever more demanding population. It is therefore hardly surprising that among their ceramic ware, one can find many brightly coloured examples depicting organised armies and other battle scenes.
There were many different style of the so-called vasijas comunicantes, or joined vessels, as well as conical receptacles with a flat base and a narrow rim and with images of the same deity that was sculpted at the Gateway to the Sun at Tiwanaku, with feline attributes on its face and holing a staff in either hand.
The iconography to be found on Wari textiles was also heavily inspired by reliefs found on the walls of the aforementioned monument, which, over the years, became stylised depictions of figures carrying staffs. Similarly, their stunning tapestries typically show intricate geometrical figures representing cats and birds, as well as feathers forming brightly-coloured rectangles in which yellows and blues dominate. These fabrics were not intended to be worn, but to adorn the walls of their spacious and solemn ceremonial temples.
Lambayeque or “Sican” culture emerged from the valley of the same name after the demise of Mochican culture, until it in turn was conquered towards the end of the 14th Century by the Chimu Kingdom. Its artistic output constituted an evident reflection of the fusion of Mochica and Wari ideology, showing itself most clearly in its metalwork and ceramic arts. Like the ancient Mochicans, the Lambayeques were excellent metal workers, above all in the production of embossed sheets. Tumbaga, an Andean alloy of gold and copper, was their metal of choice, using it to produce beautiful objects and garments, whose use was obviously restricted to the ruling elite.
As far as ceramics were concerned, the preferred form was a bottle with a round body, a conical base and with either one long neck, or else two diverging necks that were joined by a handle in the form of a bridge, as well as other original compound forms. They were elaborated using the technique of double terracotta moulds and tended to be one colour only, generally black in contrast to the multi-coloured Wari pieces. On occasions they carried depictions of the legendary Ñaymlap, adopting a stately pose and wearing a headdress in the form of a half moon.
Lambayeque ceramic style was notably influenced by the Chimus, with their monochrome lead-black sculptural vessels, although under the influence of the Incas, this later gave way to a use of red on cream. They were usually decorated with charming figures and with handles in the form of stirrups. Typical scenes were intimate depictions of animals, people carry llamas and other objects on their backs as well as representations of plant life, occasionally given human forms.
Chimu metalwork is also exceptional. The gold and silversmiths were masters of metalworking techniques, and used the lost wax process to make exquisitely delicate gold and silver sculptures. They also produced superb vessels for ceremonial use and other original designs for jewellery, golden gloves, brooches, decorated clasps and even tweezers for removing unsightly body hair.
Within their artistic repertory, we should not overlook their celebrated smaller, wooden anthropomorphic sculptures. The Chimu also used wood to make chests
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