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Chavin and the origins of Andean civilization
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1993
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Historical GeographyLatin American ArchaeologyCultural HeritageAmerican ArchaeologyArchaeologyInca SocietyInca CulturePeruvian ArtVisual ArtsSocial SciencesSouth AmericaPrehistoryCultural HistoryAncient CivilizationsLanguage StudiesArt HistoryMaterial CultureHistorical ArchaeologyChavin CivilizationAnthropologySocial AnthropologyCultural AnthropologyAndean Civilization
Chavín de Huantar, a lesser‑known pre‑historic Andean center, emerged in the first millennium BC as South America’s oldest complex culture and its distinctive style dominated Peruvian art and architecture for centuries. The book seeks to determine the nature of the Chavín style, trace the development and collapse of its civilization, and provide a resource of photographs, drawings, and maps for scholars. Recent discoveries over the past two decades reveal that pre‑Chavín egalitarian societies built massive truncated pyramids comparable to those of Old Kingdom Egypt, and that Chavín civilization synthesized these traditions through long‑distance trade and a new religious ideology, challenging previous assumptions about the origins of monumental architecture and art in the Andes.
Of the six independent centres of civilization in world prehistory, probably the least well known is Chavin de Huantar, high up in the Andes, where South America's oldest complex culture arose during the first millennium BC and created its earliest known city. The Chavin style dominated Peruvian art and architecture for hundreds of years and influenced all that came after. But what was the exact nature of this style? How did Chavin civilization develop, and why did it eventually collapse? New answers are emerging after unprecedented discoveries made over the past two decades. Drawing on his intimate knowledge of these findings, including his own excavations at Chavin and elsewhere, Professor Burger argues controversially - that the first monumental architecture and great art in the Andes were created by economically egalitarian pre-Chavin societies. It is now known that such pre-state cultures built massive truncated pyramids as ancient as those of Old Kingdom Egypt. Chavin civilization represents a synthesis of these traditions, forged through the impact of long-distance trade and a new religious ideology. Accompanied by a wealth of photographs, drawings and maps, it will be of great interest to art historians as well as archaeologists and students of comparative civilization.