The culture and richness of the Andean peoples is the theme of the new exhibition that opens this Wednesday in São Paulo. Through rare objects, ‘Ancestral Treasures of Peru’ makes a historical journey to the ancient Peruvian civilizations, reflecting on their customs, technologies and lifestyle.
The exhibition runs until November 18 at the CCBB-SP (Rua Álvares Penteado, 112 – Centro Histórico), which is open from Wednesday to Monday, from 9am to 8pm. Visiting is free, just pick up your tickets free of charge via the website https://bb.com.br/cultura or at the venue’s box office.
‘Ancestral Treasures of Peru’ on show until November
The Inca Empire was the largest among the peoples of ancient America, bringing together up to 12 million people at its peak. Occupying a territory of approximately 4,000 kilometers, it stretched from southern Colombia to Chile and Argentina, also covering present-day Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.
In ‘Ancestral Treasures of Peru’, the public will be able to see 162 pieces produced by the Andeans between 900 BC and 1600 AD. They are part of the collection of the Museo Oro del Perú y Armas del Mundo, in Lima, and are on display in five themed areas.
These rare objects include bags, pennants, funerary masks and crowns, many of them made of gold, as well as jackets, shoes and other garments. Also present are ornamental knives called Tumis, which were used in sacrificial ceremonies.
Exhibition takes a look back at 10,000 years of the Inca Empire
The pieces are distributed in the areas Timeline, Mining, Deities and Rituals, Ceramics and Textiles and Colonization. Firstly, the public will be able to see the most important events of the 10,000 years of the Inca Empire. Next, they will learn more about the mastery these peoples had over metals, which allowed them to work with so many pieces of gold, copper and silver.
Then you’ll see pieces in noble metals that represent the Andean gods and then various molded clay utensils that give an overview of the lifestyle of these people. And finally, we see how the violent domination of the Spanish created a new identity on the ruins of the Inca Empire.
