The Museum of Pre-Columbian Art

Inca, originally the Quechua people's term of respect for their tribal leader or king, means 'Son of the Sun'. The Incas, the children of the sun, were the masters of gold and glory. The Inca culture is one of the three great civilizations of the Americas, alongside the Maya and Aztec cultures. Originating from Cusco in Peru, the Inca culture developed on the basis of many pre-Inca Andean ancient civilizations represented by the Chavín culture and the Tiwanaku culture, establishing the Inca Empire known as the 'Land of the Four Quarters' in the Andean region. The planning and management of the Inca Empire were highly organized, leaving behind a large number of world-famous historical and cultural relics. Among them, the magnificent Machu Picchu site, hailed as 'one of the New Seven Wonders of the World'; the mysterious Moray terraces, concealing the secrets of Inca agricultural technology; the developed Inca road network, the most extensive and advanced road system in South America before the Columbian era; the 'khipu', an undeciphered recording system... For thousands of years, the sun has risen from the sea and gradually illuminated the entire Andean region, witnessing the rise and fall of various civilizations on this land. Highly organized tribes and even empires once existed here, yet they never left a single word. Just as marine fossils found in the Andes Mountains help us understand the changes of this land from sea to mulberry fields, archaeologists and experts from all walks of life have gradually unveiled the mysterious veil of Andean civilization through cross-century and cross-border cooperation and efforts, and have brought it across the oceans to our eyes. Preface The exhibition is divided into three parts: Part One: The Dawn of Civilization Chavín culture and Cupisnique culture Approximately 1500–500 BCE Nazca culture Approximately 100 BCE–700 CE Moche culture Approximately 250 BCE–750/800 CE Part Two: The Fusion of Multiculturalism Tiwanaku culture Approximately 500 BCE–1100 CE Sicán culture 750–1375 CE Part Three: The Imprint of the Empire Inca agriculture Inca architecture Inca art Inca beliefs