Chavin

Sensational archaeological excavations in recent years prove that Peru's coastal regions have been dwelled already in the 4th millennium BC monumental by people living in complex societies and highly developed cultures, who had built monumental sacred structures. The most beautiful and most famous of these buildings is the temple at Chavin de Huantar. Situated at an altitude of 10,500 feet, it is built in stone and richly decorated with relief and carvings, and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985. With its architecture, with music and visual arts it forged a distinctive world view and is today regarded as the mother culture of the Andes. This new book documents for the first time and comprehensively the findings of an extended archaeological research campaign at Chavin. Essays by leading experts describe concept and layout of the temple and highlight its importance. The essays are illustrated with photographs, drawings, plans and maps. The catalogue section presents and describes more than 170 artefacts: sculptures, vessels for religious and profane purposes, jewellery, and textiles. Essays are written by Walter Alva, Ignacio Alva Meneses, Henning Bischof, Tom D. Dillehay, Peter R. Fuchs & Renate Patzschke, Peter Fux, Peter Kaulicke, Luis Guillermo, Lumbreras, Christian Mesia Montenegro, Yoshio Onuki, Markus Reindel & Johny Isla, and John W. Rick.