Arte chancay: reconstrucción ritual del mundo

Few Pre-Hispanic cultures in the Andes have formal manifestations as clearly defined as the ones fromthe Chancay culture. The originality of its art reveals an autonomous and coherent culture, with a characteristic aesthetics that despite being widely known, still maintains the veil of mystery over its distant and elusive past. Today we can identify ourselves with their aesthetic expressions, but we are still far from fully understanding the meaning of their representations. This article outlines an interpretation of a section of the Chancay worldwiew through its artistic production, mainly connected to funeral rites and ancestors’ worship. We will look at the body of representations focusing on the main three themes connected to the funeral ritual: the divine character of the ancestor, the ritual recreation of the environment, and the assignment of meaning to the death of a member of society. Within this context, we will try to understand the particularities of the artistic canons and stylistic conventions that define the Chancay art. Iconography and aesthetics will allow us to attempt to rebuild the meaning of each object, and the worldview that shaped and gave meaning to the Chancay society.