The Colonial Andes: Tapestries and Silverwork, 1530–1830 (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series)

The arrival of the Spanish in South America in 1532 permanently transformed the Andean cultural landscape. Within a generation, societies that had developed over thousands of years, including the great Inca Empire, had been irrevocably altered. The arts from the Spanish colonial period—those that drew on native traditions, such as textiles, silver, woodwork, and stonework, as well as painting, sculpture, and other genres introduced by the Spanish—preserve an unspoken dialogue that developed between Andean and European modes of expression.

This beautiful book presents silver objects, textiles, and other masterpieces of colonial Andean culture. Essays discuss the artistry of this culture and explain how it has been recently reevaluated and celebrated for its vibrant energy reflecting the convergence of two essentially distinct cultural traditions.