T
his summer, through a Saint David’s Summer Grant, I was afforded the opportunity
to visit Hoyle’s impressive collection that houses some 45,000 archaeological relics
of Peruvian pottery. My visit to Peru encompassed many aspects of Peruvian culture,
landscape, pottery, and its peoples. This educational journey through Peru involved meeting
with the curator of Museo Larco in Lima, researching and flying over the famed Nazca Lines
in Ica, visiting the Pre-Colombian Art Museum in Cusco, and partaking in a “Seminario”
style workshop in the Sacred Valley of Urubamba.
Researchers have always seen ceramics as a rich source of information regarding diverse
aspects of the societies that produced them. Pre-Colombian cultures have been defined to a
great degree by the stylistic and iconographic characteristics of their ceramics. The work of the
potter demands control of every stage of production: the selection of the material, preparation
of the clay, making of the object, decoration, drying,
From the Museo Larco in Lima.
the finishing of the surface and firing. The primary
material for the making of Moche ceramics consisted
of red, cream, and white colored clay. The pigments used to give color were mostly mineral-
based oxides. Tools were made from pelican bones to decorate the piece and molds and
stamps were also used to apply texture and designs.
Upon meeting Ulla Holmquist, the former curator and current Director of Museo Larco
in Lima, I was presented with the museum’s storage rooms that house approximately 35,000
pottery objects from ancient Peru. They are organized in chronological order according
to cultures, regions, and themes they represent. The pure sight of thousands of pieces of
pottery on display was mind-boggling. The space seemed to never end as I turned each
corner, only to find rows and rows of more unique pottery pieces. I started to notice
reoccurring motifs in the Peruvian pottery. The bird of the heavens, the feline on Earth,
and the serpent with its access to the subterranean world were the three sacred animals of
ancient Peru. As I traveled through the Andean region of Peru and Inca ruins, I became
From the Museo Larco in Lima.
more aware of the Incas’s religious views and symbols of these divine animals. For example,
the Incas designed Cusco in the shape of a puma to symbolize its power and strength.
Cultures of the South: Nazca
After my exploration of Lima, the region of Ica was next on my tour. I set out to discover and understand the culture of
the Nazca people, who were experts in building subterranean aqueducts that lined a system of reservoirs for the distribution
of water and irrigation of crops. They transformed the arid plains into a sacred
land, creating the lines and figures, which are known today as the Nazca Lines. I
boarded a 12-seat propeller plane for a thrilling hour flight, offering spectacular
views of the 12 most famous Nazca Lines including the hummingbird, astronaut,
whale, and spider. With each twist, dip, and turn, the pilots located each image in the
desert sand. There continues to be a great debate about how this ancient civilization
constructed these incredible figures, which vary in size and complexity, without
any aerial assistance or modern tools. There are also a variety of theories explaining
why they were created, from water flow and irrigation schemes, to an astronomical
calendar. Another hypothesis is that the Nazca people created them to be seen by
deities in the sky. My main goal
for viewing the Nazca lines was
to see first-hand their scale and
detail, and discover how that The Nazca Lines.
influenced their pottery.
The designs of the colorful Nazca ceramics feature natural and supernatural
creatures. In their pottery, Nazca artists represented the fauna and flora of
their environment. They depicted the detailed features of animals and fruits
with great skill. They depicted fishermen and farmers as well as hunting
scenes and combat between warriors. Much of what is known about the
Nazca religion comes from their pottery. Since the Nazca had no writing
system, iconography painted on pottery served as means of communication
and preservation of history.
“Through my grant, I
have been reminded how
Saint David’s seeks to create
responsible lifelong learners
who are reflective and
respect differences.”
Winter 2019 • 25