The great civilizations of Peru and highland Bolivia—with their monolithic stone structures, major political organizations, and elaborate material wealth—have long attracted the attention of the outside world. This was the only area where structures of any real magnitude were built in South America; the ruins of Tiwanaku, Cuzco, Chan Chan, and similar well-developed urban centres attest to the achievement of highly skilled peoples. Pottery has been found in all styles and types, from relatively crude wares to the most highly painted and polished masterpieces. Whistling vessels are common, and the various forms of musical instruments perhaps exceed those found in other civilizations on the continent. Representations of daily life on the pottery reflect complete, well-rounded civilizations.

Humans were definitely active in Peru as early as 10,000 bce, and pottery making there dates to no later than 1200 bce. Slowly these dates will be pushed back as scholars unravel more and more of prehistory, for, in view of the advanced stage of some early works, it is certain that they will be found to have been preceded by others.

The great Peruvian ruins around Chavín de Huántar have given the name Chavín to one of the most remarkable civilizations in South America—and one of the earliest, though it was apparently not coeval with the Valdivia of Ecuador (c. 3200 bce). There remnants, famous throughout the archaeological world, have been found of one of America’s earliest cultures. Carved stone objects, fantastic pottery that demonstrates the most advanced skills, evidences of stone construction, and remarkably sophisticated goldwork all bear witness to a truly magnificent era in ancient history.

Another discovery has brought to light evidence of an early civilization at Ayabaca, in Piura in northwestern Peru, that was probably coeval with the Chavín. Named Vicús after the valley in which it was uncovered and dating between 250 bce and 500 ce, this civilization produced pottery that resembles the ware of nearby Ecuador and goldwork not unlike other early forms. The discovery of this civilization, unknown until the late 1960s, suggests the existence of others.

South of the Chavín region, another high culture developed around the Paracas Peninsula. This civilization produced a famous thin-walled pottery and some of the most extraordinary textiles in existence. Great woven mantles, ponchos, and small tapestries were created between 1000 and 250 bce.

Just as elements from the Chavín civilization filtered south to influence the Paracas people, so they influenced a development in the north, around the Virú, Chicama, and Moche valleys from 250 bce to 750 ce. Commonly called Moche, these people developed a mature art form that includes some of the finest plastic sculpture in the history of pottery. The range of designs makes these objects remarkable not only as art but also as a record of the civilization from which they come. The extensive number of objects produced suggests that the civilization was an extremely populous one, in which power and wealth were major goals.

Gradually this civilization gave way to that of invaders, the Chimú, whose capital of Chan Chan was from 1000 to 1500 ce one of the great urban centres of ancient Peru. This huge city, now largely destroyed, once housed 100,000 persons and produced a spectacular array of artistic works: gold jewelry, feather mantles, great textiles, and considerable work in wood and clay. The arid climate has preserved more art from the Chimú region than from many other sections, and Spanish accounts aid scholars in understanding those artifacts. Pottery was as skilled as any found elsewhere, although by the period under examination something of a paralysis had set in; certainly, many of the designs have a static quality, doubtless owing to the extensive use of molds. Customer demand must have been so great that the craftsperson had to resort to mass production to keep up with his or her clients.

In the south a great pottery talent was at work from c. 250 bce to 750 ce around the Nazca Valley. There, perhaps the most technically advanced potters in South America were producing perfectly formed clay vessels, highly fired, brilliantly painted, and often intricately fashioned. Mostly mold-made, they were turned out in great quantities, with the same stiff formality seen in Chimú pottery. The Nazca weavers, however, succeeded in defeating the mass market, for their work was devoted to highest quality, and their skill was such that even though miles of similarly patterned cloth were turned out regularly, the repetition did not destroy its beauty. In fact, the overall patterns so frequently seen provide a harmony that results in a beautiful fabric. There was literally no weaving process unknown to the ancient Peruvians. Nazca goldwork seems not to have been up to the standards achieved by other Peruvian metalwork; by and large it is a listless product, having only the material to recommend it. Thin, hammered sheet gold was commonly used for Nazca ornamentation.

Closely related to, and extending from, the Nazca work is the art of the Ica civilization (1000–1500 ce). These people produced fine textiles, the designs of which were often reproduced on the pottery of the area. The dry climate has also preserved a wealth of wood carving, much of it in such fine condition that the quality of the art can be clearly seen.

In the central Peruvian area, a group of people emerged, built a modest civilization, and developed it into a world that was in existence when the Spanish arrived. The Chancay people are not known for great artworks; their pottery, produced from 1000 to 1500 ce, is a simple black-on-white ware, usually painted in soft colours, simply defined, and frequently crude in appearance. Their one outstanding quality is humour; many Chancay vessels show a lively sense of the absurd, almost providing a Peruvian comic strip. Chancay weaving is excellent, and many thousands of surviving examples attest to this technical preeminence.

Farther afield, in Bolivia, another major civilization had been developing: the Tiwanaku world. Its origin and the whole story of its development are not yet fully understood, but it is known that it came to exert a tremendous influence over a wide area of South America from 250 to 750 ce. One of its most characteristic qualities was the use of stone—in walled cities, huge doorways with intricately carved paneling, and great paved roads. Tiwanaku art is a rather angular expression, with repetitive, rather unoriginal motifs. The pottery from this site is equally uninspiring; although strong in colour, it does not show the variety and technical perfection seen in the wares of the nearby Inca and Nazca. Again, the great art is weaving. It seems that in many cultures the attention devoted to the textile arts far overshadowed that devoted to all of the other arts. And so it is with the Tiwanaku, who produced ponchos, caps, pouches, and other costume pieces that are instantly recognizable wherever seen and challenge the contemporary weaver with their variety, fantastically tight weave, and remarkable richness of colour.

The Inca civilization had begun about 1200 ce, but the empire itself was not established until 1438, with the accession of Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, the greatest of the Inca rulers. With the arrival of the Spanish in 1532, the empire was at its height but was suffering from a schism that proved fatal in the face of the European attack. So savage was the Spanish invasion that the empire, numbering some 6 million individuals at its height, was left without a head, and, within a period of 30 years, its population had dwindled to 1.5 million. Part of this legacy is that less art survives from the Inca culture than from many of the far older Peruvian cultures; there are many more Tiwanaku ponchos known than those from the Inca period, for example. Enough has survived, however, to enable scholars to characterize Inca art forms. The aryballus (globular bottle for liquids) is known the world over, and stonework was common and of excellent quality. Silver and gold were no mystery to the Inca; religious tribute was claimed in the form of worked metal, treated as a gift to the sun god. Indeed, it was this very practice that proved the Inca’s undoing, for the Spanish treasure seekers abandoned all other pursuits in their greed for precious metals. In due course, the Inca civilization declined to a point where it was little more than a shell.

Chile and Argentina

The Monte Verde site in Chile is the oldest firmly dated human habitation site in the Americas, at 10,500 bce. About 500 bce, pottery-making people became active in the south. However late human habitation was, civilizations developed quickly. Wandering back and forth over the Andes, humans settled both Chile, where they were known as Diaguita, and northern Argentina, where they were known as Chalchaquí. Very soon the peoples of this region developed their own arts, some of which are unique. They produced fine pottery and strong, colourful textiles. Gold was never a major product, although copper became an important metal, partly because of its prevalence. The people cast huge copper disks and plaques and made special burial urns for their children, even reserving cemetery areas in a touching demonstration of affection. The period of Diaguita settlement covered about 1,500 years, or from approximately 1 to 1500 ce.

With the extension of the Inca empire into the Chilean and Argentine regions, the ubiquitous aryballus form found its way there, as did other, similar Inca expressions. Indeed, the pottery forms give a clue as to the presence or absence of the Inca overlords.

With the arrival of the Europeans all of this changed. Of all of the South American Indian civilizations, only in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile is there anything like a continuum of native arts. And even in these the European influence has been so pervasive as to eradicate all but the most dominant aesthetic characteristics.