Dr. Alicia Boswell, Assistant Professor in History of Art and Architecture, UCSB
Final installment in the Emerging Scholars Series. In-person attendance at Silver Center for Arts and Science, Room 300. RSVP.
Abstract
“Throughout the ancient Americas leaders adorned themselves in regalia, such as headdresses, ear flares, and nose ornaments. Created from highly valued, precious materials, such as rare shell, stone, fine textiles, and metals, these symbolic adornments connected the individual to their ideological system, both empowering and legitimizing their authority. On the north coast of what today is Peru, regalia and ritual paraphernalia made of gold, silver, and copper became increasingly important components in elite attire and burials in the Moche (CE 400-850), Lambayeque/Sican (CE 850-1250), and Chimú (~900-1470) polities. In this talk I draw on ethnohistoric sources, archaeological research and object studies that inform us about the distinctive ideological systems expressed in Moche, Lambayeque, and Chimu metal artisans’ works.”