The Expansive Lives of Chavin Artists and their Creations across the Ancient Andes

Nicholas E. Brown, PhD

Fellow, Pre-Columbian Studies, Dumbarton Oaks

This presentation explores the spread of Chavin art across the Andean world of the early first millennium B.C. To understand the lives of the people responsible for its spread, in this talk, Dr. Brown will embark on a journey through several sites of Chavin artistic production in Peru, tracing the visual evidence of ancient communication between far-flung regions. Beginning in the north-central highlands, he will discuss the carved stone monuments of Chavin de Huantar to highlight the criteria involved in labeling a work of art as “Chavin”, then shift to the south coast sites of Karwa and Coyungo to consider how Chavin and Paracas design traditions were fused by artists who painted cotton textiles. The talk will conclude with a discussion of the east-central highlands sites of Chawin Punta, Quillarumi, and Kanchan Wanka, which contain an impressive array of carved and painted art that suggests the importance of artistic mobility within the Chavin phenomenon. By considering the influential lived experiences of ancient people who traveled through the central highlands on their journeys to and from Chavin de Huantar, fresh insights can be gained about the diversity of creative inspirations involved in the social movements of Chavin art throughout the Peruvian Andes.

Nicholas E. Brown holds a PhD in Anthropology from Yale University, having received a BA in Archaeology at Stanford University. Brown directs the Chawin Punta-Kunturay Archaeology Project (2016-2023) and the Central Andes-Amazonia Headwaters Survey (2020-2023). Brown's research explores how the interplay between human interaction and social innovation resulted in widespread circulation of symbols and ideas across different parts of South America in ancient times, focusing on the Chavin phenomenon in Peru during the second and first millennium BC. Brown also studies the contemporary mobilization of Andean heritage in Peru, Chile, and Ecuador and its impact around the world in museums, universities, and UNESCO’s World Heritage Program..

This meeting is free and open to the public but you must pre-register to attend. Click HERE to register for this Zoom lecture. A confirmation email and a reminder message will be sent the day before the talk.