Ancient Americas: South American History

ANDEAN GOD BOOKPLATES (Sample available)
art from a photo. Condition: NEW package of 10 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. We can also personalize the bookplates if you like - email us the name you want on the bookplate. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get anywhere else. 3.5" H x 3.0" W. Content: This bookplate is also a design from much of Inca and pre-Inca stonework. This is also from the Gate of the Sun. Any questions or for a sample, click here to email us.
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MOCHE TUMI KNIFE BOOKPLATES (Sample available)
art by Aroas. Condition: NEW package of 10 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. We can also personalize the bookplates if you like - email us the name you want on the bookplate. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get at a big store. 3.5" H x 3.0" W. Content: This is an artist's rendering of a Moche Tumi sacrificial knife (it is also our logo). "The Tumi is a sacrificial ceremonial knife distinctly characterized by a semi-circular blade, made of either bronze, copper, gold-alloy, wood, or silver alloy usually made of one piece and used by some Inca and pre-Inca cultures in the Peruvian Coastal Region. Other Andean cultures such as the Paracas have used the tumi for the neurological procedure of skull trepanation. Tumi were produced for ritual use and for burials of elite members of society." (Wikipedia) Any questions or for a sample, click here to email us.
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NAZCA LINES BOOKPLATES (Spider) (Sample available)
art by Sdmix. Condition: NEW package of 10 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get at anywhere else. We can also personalize the bookplates if you like - just email us with the name. 3.1" H x 3.5" W. Content: This is a faithful reproduction of the giant spider drawing (geoglyph) from the Nazca Lines on the Nazca Plain in southern Peru. Any questions or for a sample, click here to email us.
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THE ANCIENT KINGDOMS OF PERU
by Nigel Davies (The Ancient Kingdoms of Mexico). B&W photo section plus B&W drawings and maps. Condition: PLEASE READ. UNREAD, but not perfect, 1998 Penguin (UK) Trade Paperback, fist printing. Very light edge wear with moderate tanning to page edges. Content: Archaeologist and Incan expert Nigel Davies offers astonishing revelations about the remarkable empire of the Incas and the civilizations that preceded them. From the desert at Nazca to the great coastal civilization of Chimor, this compelling overview makes accessible the latest research on all the ancient kingdoms of Peru. 6 maps. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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ANDEAN CULTURE HISTORY
by Wendell C. Bennett & Junius B. Bird. B&W drawings & photos. Condition: UNREAD 1964 Natural History Press paperback (257 pages), second & revised edition. Problem: previous owner did not read the book, but he put his name everywhere and then used a dark marker to mark them all out. Content: Of course, some of this material is dated, but some isn't. From the early migration to the Andes through the Cultist Period, the City Builder Period and ending with the Inca Imperial Period, this history is readable and detailed. Wonderful maps. It is still worth reading. Questions welcome. [2 copies available]
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THE ANDEAN HERITAGE: Masterpieces of Peruvian Art from the Collection of the Peabody Museum
by Garth Bawden and Geoffrey W. Conrad. B&W photos, drawings, and maps illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 1988 Peabody Museum soft cover, second printing. Content: Exhibition book from the Peabody Museum on Peruvian art and civilization which covers all the eras arts, cities and states. Excellent! Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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ASTRONOMY AND EMPIRE N THE ANCIENT ANDES: The Cultural Origins of Inca Sky Watching
by Brian S. Bauer and David S. P. Dearborn. B&W maps, photos, charts & De Poma drawings illustrate. Condition: NEW 1995 Univ. of Texas Press Trade Paperback, no printing given. Tiny edge wear. Content: Reviewer: "A very good down to earth summary of the subject. An important synthesis of data on Inca astronomy, well-written and well researched by two experts in the field, an archaeologist/historian and an astronomer. Recommended for serious students of othe ancient Andes." Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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BEYOND DEATH: The Chinchorro Mummies of Ancient Chile
by Bernardo T. Arriaza. Foreword by John W. Verano. B&W photos, drawings, maps. Condition: NEW 1999 Smithsonian Institution Press hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition, first printing. Content: Thousands of years before ancient Egyptians mummified their dead elite, the South American Chinchorros performed elaborate mummification rituals for deceased members of every level and age of their society. They are exceptional for the sheer number of known mummies (nearly 200) and the variety and complexity of their mummification techniques. Although first discovered in 1917, the mummies are little known throughout the world and most literture about them is in Spanish. This book brings to light these unprecedented remains, offers new interprettions of the mortuary practices, and reconstructs the culture's daily life of 8,000 years ago. [An exceptional book, IMHO.] [1 copy available]
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THE CITIES OF THE ANCIENT ANDES
by Adriana Von Hagen and Craig Morris. 147 wonderful B&W and color photos illustrate. Condition: NEW 1998 Thames & Hudson hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), asssumed first edition. Content: Reviewer: "he authors provide a stimulating introduction to urbanism in the Precolumbian Andes. The only problem with this book was that it left me wanting more. Since the book covers the entire history of the Ancient Andes, it cannot devote much space to any specific city or civilization. Nevertheless, there is still more than enough to enthrall. At the start of each chapter on a civilization, there is always a short description of what life would have been like for some inhabitants of a city of that civilization. This provides some extra colour to the book though some technical readers might not appreciate it. My favourite portion was on Tiwanaku, the largest city of the altiplano around Lake Titicaca. The pictures and maps were excellent and greatly enhanced to the book." [This is one of the best books on the ancient Andes, IMHO.] [1 copy left]
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THE DESERT KINGDOMS OF PERU
by Victor W. Von Hagen. 2 B&W photo sections. B&W illustrations by Alberto Beltran. Condition: UNREAD 1968 Mentor paperback, first printing. Tiny edge wear. Content: A unique reconstruction of the extraordinary lost nation of the Mochica-Chimu, an ancient pre-Columbian culture that antedated the Incas, and flourished from 3000 B.C.E. to 50 years before the Conquistadors. No written word remains to document the remarkably high levels of art, achitecture, agriculture and social structure attained by the Mochica-Chimu. But their tombs, and the articles within, reveal their intimate family and erotic life, the houses they lived in, the food they ate, and the gods they worshiped. Anthropologist Victor von Hagen re-creates the lives and character of these pre-Columbian people through his own expert observations, the commentaries of King Charles III's Spanish emissaries, and a wealth of fascinating photographs. Breaking taboos, Mr. von Hagen has included photos of Mochica-Chimu pottery previously stigmatized as erotica. The real Moche warriors. Wonderful book that is, of course, somewhat dated, but a classic in the field of the ancient Moche - Chimu and worth the read. [1 copy available]
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THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE ANCIENT AMERICAS: Exploe the Wonders of the Aztec, Maya, Inca, North American Indians & Arctic Peoples
by Jen Green, Fiona MacDonald, Philip Steele, Michael Stotter. Beautiful, historically accurate, color illustrations. Detailed "how-to" color photos. Condition: NEW 2001 Southwater huge, over-size soft cvoer, first printing. Shipping weight 3.5 pounds. Content: Reviewer: "There are 4 large sections: Aztec & Maya, Incas, North American Indians, and Arctic Peoples. Each section is set up rather like a DK book, with several color photos (and a few drawings) and text around them. There is lots of information about how each group of people lived, what they believed, some of their history, etc. There are several craft activities for each section, as well. The weakest section is the North American section, since the information for all groups is together. While readers are informed of the different types of homes, clothing, and general lifestyle between the various cultures, there is little information on any specific culture. Readers wanting information on a particular group (Cherokee, Navajo, etc.) will need an additional source. Overall, this is a very good beginning place for learning about ancient American cultures & peoples, especially for children from 5-12 years old (With 5 year olds looking at the pictures and being told a little, and perhaps doing a few crafts with help, and older children reading the text for themselves and doing the crafts alone). After reading the appropriate section of this book, readers will be ready to learn more about whatever specific group they are interested in." This is an excellent book. Over 800 photos & illustrations, including inside-view artworks of homes of the past; exciting historical models to make at home or school; and pictorial maps and timelines. For junior high and up, but all ages will appreciate, IMHO. [1 copy available]
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FROM VIRACOCHA TO THE VIRGIN OF COPACABANA: Representation of the Sacred at Lake Titicaca
by Veronica Salles-Reese. De Leon illustrations and B&W photos. Condition: NEW 1997 Univ. of Texas Press Trade Paperback, first thus. Light shelf wear bottom front cover edge. Content: If you are interested in the Inca religion and mythology of South America, this is the book for you. As detailed as Urton, but much easier reading. Lake Titicaca has been a sacred place to the Andean people from prehistoric times to today. The author explores how Andean myths of cosmic and ethnic origins centered on Lake Titicaca evolved from pre-Inca times to the enthronement of the Virgin of Copacabana in 1583. She begins by describing the myths of the Kolla (pre-Inca) people and shows how their Inca conquerors attempted to establish legitimacy the reconciling their myths of cosmic and ethnic origin with teh Kolla myths. Fascinating book. [2 copies available]
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THE GOLD OF THE GODS
by Erich Von Daniken. Translated by Michael Heron. Illustrated with drawings, maps, and photographs. Condition: Pre-read 1974 Bantam paperback edition, first printing. Spine crease with tanning to interior. Content: Von Daniken explores the vast mysterious underworld of Ecuador - caves filled with gold and and writings in solid gold that go back in time to the Great Flood to bolster his theory of a prehistoric earthly "era of the gods." Why this is considered as "archaeology" escapes me, but . . . . it is interesting. [1 copy available]
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THE HUAROCHIRI MANUSCRIPT: A Testament of Ancient & Colonial Andean Religion
by Frank Salomon and George L. Urioste. Condition: UNREAD 1991 University of Texas Press large hardcover [11.8 x 9 x 1 (273 pages)] & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition, first printing. Light tanning to DJ edges. Content: Annotations & Introductory Essay by Frank Salomon. Transcription by George Urioste. "This book takes the reader back to the beginning of the 17th century and tells the customs and believes of the Yunca people. The unknown editor of the Huarochirí Quechua manuscript was an Andean person, well-versed in scribal writing, and recruited by Father Francisco de Avila to document non-Christian practices. Avila's biographer Antonio Acosta thinks Avila wanted this data in order to blackmail discontented parishioners, who had mounted a lawsuit against him in 1607. The Quechua writer was apparently a convinced Catholic in the mold of the Third Council of Lima, and an enemy of the ancient gods. But he also seems interested in demonstrating that the ancient cults had a coherence comparable, albeit adversely and dangerously, with that of Christianity." This was my personal book and I just never got around to reading it. No library sales on this book - I don't want to see it marked up. Questions welcome [1 copy available]
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THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE INCAS: The Extraordinary story of the lost world of the Andes, chronicling the ancient civilizations of the Paracas, Chavin, Nazca, and Moche, and other tribes and cultures of ancient South America
by David M. Jones. Beautiful color photos, maps, and drawings illustrate. Condition: NEW 2007 Southwater (London) large soft cover [11.6 x 9.1 x 0.4 (128 pages)], first impression. Content: As the title states: a history of the Andean civilizations culminating in the Inca empire - beautifully done! Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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LINES TO THE MOUNTAIN GODS: Nazca and the Mysteries of Peru
by Evan Hadingham. Wonderful B&W photos (many by the Author) throughout. Condition: Gently pre-read and highlighted to page 18 and abandoned. Clean front page 19 on. 1989 Univ. of Oklahoma Press large soft cover, second printing. Questions encouraged. Content: "Why did the pre-Incan Nazca Indians carve long mysterious grooves in the Peruvian desert, lines that form enormous outlines of animals, spirals, zigzags and parallels? The fact that many patterns are clearly distinguishable only when viewed from the air led von Daniken to claim that the Nazca lines were a landing strip for UFOs. Hadingham, archaeologist and author of "Early Man and the Cosmos", refutes von Daniken's theory. He also disputes German investigator Maria Reiche, who has spent four decades living near the lines; her belief that the desert markings are a calendar of seasons and star movements accounts for only a small proportion of the lines, according to Hadingham. He argues that some of the patterns wee aids to shamanistic practice, others wee fertility symbols, still others were markers linking holy spots. His thoroughly documented, beautifully written and richly illustrated account is must reading for anyone intrigued by this enigma." - Publishers Weekly. It's a wonderful book! [1 copy available.]
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LORDS OF SIPAN: A True Story of Pre-Inca Tombs, Archaeology, and Crime
by Sidney Kirkpatrick. B&W Moche drawings and a color photo section. Condition: NEW 1993 Owl Henry Holt Trade PB, first thus, first printing. Tiny edgewear. Content: In January 1987 a group of tomb robbers at Huaca Rajada on Peru's north coast had their dreams come true. They stumbled on a pre-Inca tomb of unsurpassed wealth (read: gold) at a site everybody else had written off as already having been plundered. Unfortunatley, for them, greed was their undoing. This is the story of Dr. Walter Alva's fight to save the" King Tut of the America's" tomb. Although the book was written by a screenwriter with a tone of fiction, it is a true story of archaeology in South America. [2 copies available]
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LORDS OF SIPAN: A True Story of Pre-Inca Tombs, Archaeology, and Crime
by Sidney Kirkpatrick. B&W Moche drawings and a color photo section. Condition: NEW 1992 William Morrow hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Content: In January 1987 a group of tomb robbers at Huaca Rajada on Peru's north coast had their dreams come true. They stumbled on a pre-Inca tomb of unsurpassed wealth (read: gold) at a site everybody else had written off as already having been plundered. Unfortunatley, for them, greed was their undoing. This is the story of Dr. Walter Alva's fight to save the" King Tut of the America's" tomb. Although the book was written by a screenwriter with a tone of fiction, it is a true story of archaeology in South America. [1 copy available]
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THE LOST HISTORY OF THE INCAS
by Dr. David M. Jones. Over 500 color photos, maps, artworkds and fine art images. Beautiful!!! Condition: NEW 2007 Hermes House (London) over -sized soft cover, first impression. Content: This is an authoritative account of the awe-inspiring story of the Inca Empire and peoples of the sun - a guide to the lost world of the natives of the Andes: from the acient civilizations of Paracas, Chavin, Nazca and Moche to the Tiwanaku, WAri, and Chimu. A fascinating study of power, politics, war and the empire building that shaped one of the biggest and most sophisticated civilizations in history. Explores myth and religion: how ancient cultures paid homage to rainforest gods - jaguars, serpents, monkeys and birds - and to creator gods, including the Staff Deity and Inti the Sun God. One of those must-have books on the ancient Americas. [2 copies available]
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THE LOST TOMB OF VIRACOCHA: Unlocking the Secrets of the Peruvian Pyramids
by Maurice Cottrell. Two color photo sections and B&W illustrations throughout. Condition: NEW 2002 Headline Books (London) Trade PB first printing. Content: Inca mythology (actually throughout all of the Ancient Americas) tells of a tall, white leader who wandered along the coast performing miracles, a man they called Viracocha Pachacamac, which means “God of the World.” Centuries later another great miracle worker, similar to the first, appeared and wandered the countryside, healing the sick and restoring sight to the blind. He, too, was named Viracocha. These accounts have long baffled scholars, as have the carvings left by the people of Tiahuanaco, Bolivia, who preserved these legends. Now Maurice Cotterell, who cracked the codes hidden in both ancient Maya carvings and the treasures of Tutankhamun, unlocks the secrets concealed within the treasure-filled tombs of Viracocha Pachacamac and Viracocha. His investigation of these tombs, held within the long-lost pyramids of Peru, proves that these two figures were not myth but actually existed 1,500 years ago. [1 copy available]
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MARKHAM IN PERU: The Travels of Clements R. Markham, 1852 - 1853
by Charles R. Markham. Edited by Peter Blanchard. B&W maps and illustrations from Markham's journal. Condition: NEW 1991 University of Texas Press Trade Paperback, first edition, first printing. Tiny edge wear. Content: Clements Markham had his own ideas about what his life's work should be. In 1852, Marhkam left his father's choice, the British Navy, and set out for Peru to study the ruins of the Inca empire. His ten-month sojourn in Peru produced this journal, one of the few surviving accounts of Peru at mid-nineteenth century, and launched Markham on a career that led ultimately to the presidency of the Royal Geographical Society. His journal captures Peru in transition from the colonial past to the modern ear. He was one of the first English travelers to visit Cuzco and he also witnessed the waning of slavery on the great cotton and sugar plantations as modern machinery and Chinese coolie labor were introduced. He visited with all classes of society, from the Indian peasants, who still lived much as their Inca ancestors had done, to the Spanish-descended elites, whose Europeanized lifestyle was underwritten by fortunes made in the guano industry. Fascinating! Questions welcome. [2 copies available]
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THE MOCHE OF PERU
by Faces Magazine. B&W photos and drawings. Condition: UNREAD 1993 Faces soft cover (stapled wraps), no printing given. Content: This is an excellent overview of the Moche civilization - most likely aimed at young adults. Contents: Who Were the Moche? (Kay Sanger); Fit for a Lord: Moche Textiles and Clothing (Vuka Roussakis; Wonderful World of Animals [Moche pottery] (Donna McClelland; Plain and Fancy: Moche Burials (Christopher Donnan); Splendor After Life: Dressing the Dead (Walter Alva, the Great); Peruvian Potato Feast (Betsy Quick); Solve the Secrets of the Moche (Lyn Avis). While some of this material is dated, thre's a lot of information in this small booklet. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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THE MYTHOLOGY OF SOUTH AMERICA
by John Bierhorst. B&W drawings & photos illustrate. Condition: NEW 2002 Oxford University Press Trade Paperback, updated edition, first printing. Content: More than any other continent, South America "has preserved the conditions that allow mythology to be freely produced." Dividing the continent into seven carefully mapped regions, John Bierhorst shows how South America's principal myths can be traced from tribe to tribe and how each region has developed its own unique oral tradition. Generous samples from the stories themselves introduce the female creators of the northern Andes, the male gods of the ancient Incas, and the Brazilian tricksters Sun and Moon. Originally published in 1988, Bierhorst has updated the text to reflect the abundance of new information that has become available since the mid 80s and written a new Afterward in which he emphasizes the durability of Indian mythology. Illustrations of native artwork and chapters devoted to special topics--including the connections between myths and politics--help to provide a well-rounded overview of this fascinating and little-known lore. Detailed maps show tribal locations and the distribution of key stories and samples of differing narrative styles add enrichment, as some of the world's purest and most powerful myths are made more accessible--and more meaningful--than ever before. [1 copy left]
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THE MYTHS & RELIGION OF THE INCAS: An illustrated encyclopedia of the gods, myths and legends of the first peoples of South America with over 200 fine-art illustrations (yeah - that's the title)
by David M. Jones. Beautiful color photos of landscapes, artifacts with color repros of the Poma drawings. Condition: NEW 2008 Southwater very large (and heavy) soft cover, no printing given. Content: In this authoritative account of the religion of ancient Andean peoples, the Incas, Nazca, Tiwanaku, Chimu and many others, every aspect of their sacred world view in spiritual and daily life is explored. Magnificently illustrated throughout, this is an intriguing and accessible guide to their gods, goddesses, deities and spiritual beings. Questions welcome. [2 copies available]
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PERU (Ancient Peoples and Places series)
by G. H. S. Bushnell. Large B&W photo section. Condition: Very good 1966 Frederick Praeger Publishers Trade Paperback, revised edition, second printing. Spine creases and tiny edgewear yet the interior is clean & tight. Content: Attention has long been focussed on the Incas of Peru for their spectacular buildings and great Enpire, but they cannot be correctly appreciated without a knowledge of the civilizations that went before. This book presents, for the first time, a conspectus of the whole of Peruvian history, from the time of the first primitive hunters to the conqueset by Pizarro, and in so doing reveals much that is not yet generally known. 71 photos, 11 line drawings, 1 map. The photos in this book are some of the most clear, clean, and detailed in publishing, especially an unusual view of Machu Picchu. Dated in some respects, of course, but worth the read and the photos. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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PERU'S INDIAN PEOPLES AND THE CHALLENGE OF SPANISH CONQUEST: Huamanga to 1640
by Steve J. Stern. B&W era drawings illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 1986 Univ. of Wisconsin Trade Paperback, 4th printing. Content: "This scholarly text tells the story of how conquest transformed a resilient and vigorous people into an inferior caste of Andean Indians. The geographical focus is a mountainous region in southwest Peru dominated by the city Huamanga (today known as Ayacucho). The first chapter paints an intriguing view of a pre-Columbian society based on complex reciprocity relationships between members of extended families or kinships called ayllus. These arrangements allowed dispersed groups to exploit isolated, island-like, ecological niches like cold high mountain pastures or low dry valleys while depending upon others for products grown or created elsewhere. The ethnic groups native to Huamanga welcomed the overthrow of the Incas and allied themselves quickly with the victorious Spaniards. "Local communities sacked warehouses once dedicated to the discredited Incas." Chapter 2 examines the rise and subsequent demise of these post-Incaic alliances with the Spanish. Chapter 3 describes the revival of Andean religious fervor (the Taki Onqoy) and an unsuccessful effort to expel the Spanish colonizers. Remarkably, the Spanish, under the formidable leadership of Don Francisco de Toledo, within a decade had dramatically revised their colonial structure, and largely eliminated any possibility of future revolt by the Andean Indians. details the political economy of colonialism in the Huamanga region while chapter 5 investigates the contentious legal battles between the Indians and the colonizing elite under the Spanish judicial system. Both chapters are intriguing, but are more difficult for the non-specialist. I was surprised by how carefully the Spanish structured the taxation system; it siphoned away the maximum wealth without completely devastating the Andean economy. The Indians resisted this economic oppression through evasion as well as by tenaciously exploiting the Spanish legal system to protect their rights. The final three chapters explore the ways in which the Andean Indians gradually adapted to Spanish colonization and how this adaptation fostered a political economy of dependence. Stern devotes chapter 7 to the "tragedy of success", the story of the successful few that escaped the burdens of the peasantry by becoming integrated into the ruling Spanish colonial structure. The final chapter, Huamanga's colonial heritage, admits that much has changed in modern times, but argues that "the present seems to superimpose itself upon the past, not destroy it." Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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PERUVIAN ARCHAEOLOGY: Selected Readings
by John Howland Rowe and Dorothy Menzel. B&W photos, site maps, and drawings illustrate. Condition: Gently pre-read 1973 Peek soft cover, fifth printing. This is an ex-library book with few markings, BUT there are some underlinings. Content: Readings: Stages & Periods in Archaeological Interpretation (Rowe); Interpretation of Radiocarbon Measurements on Archaeological Samples from Peru (Rowe); Early Cultural Remains on the Central Coast of Peru (Thomas Patterson); A Pre-agricultural Occupation on the Central Coast of Peru (Edward Lanning); Preceramic Cultures in Chicama and Vini (Junius Bird); Pre-ceramic Art From Huaca Prieta, Chicama Valley (Bird); Form & Meaning in iChavin Art (Rowe); Mochia Murals at Panamarca (Richard Schaedel); Iconographic Studies as an Aid in the Reconstruction of Early Chimu Civilization (Gerdt Kutscher); Adventures of Two Pucara Statues (Rowe); and Digging in the Titicaca Basin (Rowe). Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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PERUVIAN POTTERY (Shire Ethnography)
by George Bankes. B&W photos and drawings illustrate. Condition: NEW 1989 Shire Publications Trade Paperback, no printing given. Content: Before its conquest by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century Peru had a long tradition of pottery making which has been traced back to about 3000 BC in the Upper Amazon. Some of the decorated styles have become recognised as being among the major artistic achievements of the American Indians. This book traces the development of the main styles of Peruvian pottery from earliest times up to the Spanish conquest and sets these within their cultural context. It looks at the technology employed, using a combination of the examination of finished pieces, modern experiments in manufacturing reproductions of ancient pots, and studies of modern potters working with pre-Hispanic technology. Next the iconography of the principal ancient styles is studied, showing its content and overall themes, with a section on fakes and reproductions. The last section of the book looks at Peruvian pottery today to see how it has been influenced by European technology and artistry, with special attention to areas where ancient technology and artistry have continued or beene revived using evidence from field research carried out since 1945. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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PRECOLUMBIAN TERRACOTTAS
by Franco Monti. Translated from the Italian by Margaret Crossland. Beautiful color photos of artifacts. Condition: Very good, gently pre-read 1969 Paul Hamlyn (London) small hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), new edition. No problems: just pre-read. Content: It is one of the mysteries of Precolumbian art that the earliest objects are as technically advanced as the later ones, a fact which can clearly be seen in the color illustrations. Franco Monti's erudite and fascinating text brings once more to life the civilisation destroyed by European conquerors. [1 copy available]
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THE SOCIAL LIFE OF NUMBERS: A Quechua Ontology of Numbers and Philosophy of Arithmetic
by Gary Urton with the collaboration of Primivito Nina Llanos. B&W charts, photos, & drawings illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 1997 Univ. of Texas Press hardcover (no DJ issued), no printinig given. Content: Unraveling all the mysteries of the khipu--the knotted string device used by the Inka to record both statistical data and narrative accounts of myths, histories, and genealogies--will require an understanding of how number values and relations may have been used to encode information on social, familial, and political relationships and structures. This is the problem Gary Urton tackles in his pathfinding study of the origin, meaning, and significance of numbers and the philosophical principles underlying the practice of arithmetic among Quechua-speaking peoples of the Andes. Based on fieldwork in communities around Sucre, in south-central Bolivia, Urton argues that the origin and meaning of numbers were and are conceived of by Quechua-speaking peoples in ways similar to their ideas about, and formulations of, gender, age, and social relations. He also demonstrates that their practice of arithmetic is based on a well-articulated body of philosophical principles and values that reflects a continuous attempt to maintain balance, harmony, and equilibrium in the material, social, and moral spheres of community life. [2 copies available]
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SONS OF THE MOON: A Journey in the Andes
by Henry Shukman. B&W photo section and maps. Condition: Gently pre-read 1989 Charles Scribner's hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Light edgewear to DJ. Content: The author, a Cambridge-educated journalist, travels by himself from Argentina through Bolivia to Peru. His purpose is to seek out the ancient Aymara and others whose history and culture predated that of the Incas, who conquered them. The trip covers some of the most isolated and harshest regions on the continent--primarily the Altiplano, the plateau between the eastern and western cordilleras of the Andes. Shukman hitches rides, walks, travels in lorries, pitches his tent, and meets people. The author has a poet's eye; his vivid descriptions of the scenery, the villages, the ruins of this unvisited and largely unknown area dance across the pages. Interweaving a little history and myth along with the sights and sounds, Shukman has succeeded in producing one of the most enjoyable travel books in years. [1 copy available]
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TIME DETECTIVES: How Scientists Use Modern Technology to Unravel The Secrets of The Past
by Brian Fagan. Illustrated with B&W drawings, maps, and photographs. Condition: NEW 1996 Touchstone Trade Paperback, third printing. Tiny edgewear. Content: This exhilarating mix of high adventure and serious scholarship explores how modern archeologists are using techniques like computer imaging, infrared photography and pollen analysis to reconstruct ancient cultures. Fagan, an archaeologist, describes Tiwanaku, a vanished city on Lake Titicaca's Bolivian shore (A.D. 5th-11th centuries), where Andean farmers used crop cultivation methods that are now being copied by modern villagers to increase yields. He visits enigmatic Flag Fen in eastern England, where an enormous Bronze Age timber platform rose amid uninhabited wetlands, the site of sacrificial offerings. He combs Wadi Kubbaniya, an obscure Egyptian valley, home to hunter-gatherers 10,000 years before the pharaohs-possible ancestors of ancient Egyptian civilization. He explains how excavations of the mansions and gardens of 18th-century colonial Annapolis, Md., are revealing class divisions between a white elite and African Americans who comprised as much as one-third of the population. Fagan also explores multistory New Mexican pueblos of the Anasazi, a Sumerian temple complex, Blackfoot bison hunt sites on Canadian cliffs and remnants of the Natufian culture-some of the world's earliest farmers - discovered in the 1930s in what is now Israel. [Whether you agree or disagree with Fagan, he always makes you think.] [1 copy available]
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TREASURES OF THE ANDES: The Glories of Inca and Pre-Columbian South America
by Jeffrey Quilter. Beautiful color photos of the lands and artifacts of the area. Condition: NEW 2005 Duncan Baird (UK) huge hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), no printing given. Beautiful "metalic" covDJ with equally beautiful color photos. Light shelf wear to back DJ cover - very light. Content: Reviewer: "Firsly the illustrations are lavish, both in quantity and in clarity and colour, and alone are worth buying the book for. The ancient Andean world was a colourful place and this book does it full justice with wonderful photographs of textiles, ceramics and metal work. There are many photographs of artefacts and sites that I have not seen before which was makes the book refreshingly new. Even when familiar sites are photographed (Machu Picchu for example) the choice has been made to include shots from unusual but interesting angles. I was also impressed by the written content. I know of Jeffrey Quilter through his work with Gary Urton editing Narrative Threads - a book on the Khipu (Quipu). His account in this volume is very readable and gets across some key points regarding Andean culture well. The difficult balance of providing some detail on each culture whilst avoiding generalisations is successfully achieved. The theme of building from the earliest cultures to the lastest shows both the variety and the continuity of Andean cultures and what a creative place the ancient Andes were. In short, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in ancient Peru." [1 copy available]
$ 11.59 + $ 3.79 media shipping. The book weighs 3.5 pounds.

WARRIORS, GODS AND SPIRITS FROM CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY
by Douglas Gifford. Wonderfully clever and colorful illustrations by John Sibbick. Wrap-around cover art is stunning. Condition: NEW 1985 Peter Lowe (UK) large hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), no printing given. Content: The civilizations of Central and South America havea left a wealth of fascinating myths and legends. 53 stories from the ancient empires and from today's rainforest tribes. Contents: Myths from the New World; Gods of the Aztecs; Mayas and their Myths; Incas, Children of the Sun; Myths of the High Andes; Mysteries of the Valleys; Spirits of the Forest; Tales from the Amazon; Tales of Mischief and Magic; People of the Great Rivers; Far South; Tales of Southern Plains; Symbols in the Central and South American Myths; and Index. All ages. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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