19th Annual Student Research Conference
Fine Arts
Incan Usage of Wari and Tiwanaku Art to Promote an Imperial Identity
Krista L. Garcia
Dr. Sara Orel, Faculty Mentor
In less than a century, the Inca created the largest empire in the pre-Columbian Americas. The imperial state controlled much of the art production, in particular the most valued textiles and pottery, in addition to constructing ceremonial and administrative architecture. The Incan empire imposed an imperial style onto the conquered provinces, yet this cultural transmission rarely included the diffusion of the local, non-Incan artistic styles into the Incan empire. However, the Incan state did employ symbolism and styles from the Wari and Tiwanaku empires, both of which had collapsed more than four centuries before the formation of the Inca state. This paper will examine the relationship between artistic transmission between the Wari, Tiwanaku, and Incan Empires, emphasizing the Incan desire to create ties to earlier political powers as part of the formation of an imperial identity.
Keywords: Art History, Archaeology, Pre-Columbian, Andean Region, Inca
Topic(s):Art History
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 19-4
Location: OP 2210
Time: 10:30