THE KING, THE BISHOP, AND THE CREATION OF AN AMERICAN ANTIQUITY

Abstract

Bishop Baltasar Jaime Martínez Compañón (1737–1797) was the force behind the creation of nine volumes of watercolors depicting the natural and cultural histories of the diocese of Trujillo, Peru. Volume Nine, dedicated to archaeology, includes some of the most detailed and sophisticated illustrations of antiquities and archaeological sites known from the Americas. Yet the bishop’s project has remained a curious anomaly in the history of American archaeology. This paper seeks to reconsider Martínez Compañón’s work in light of broader scholarly traditions in the eighteenth century.