Ecuador: The Secret Art of Precolumbian Ecuador [Hardcover]

Daniel Klein (Editor), Ivan Cruz Cevallos (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2007

This beautifully-illustrated book features some of the most magnificent works of art produced by the people that inhabited the present territory of Ecuador before the arrival of the Spaniards. Ecuador, the territory where an important part of pre-Columbian thought was formed, is a place of contact and cultural dissemination between societies from the southern part of the continent, Peruvians and from the north, Mesoamericans. Located in the middle of the world, it is influenced by natural phenomena such as the mix of the cold Humboldt ocean current with the warm El Nio current. At the same time, its territory is divided by the Andes, giving shape to a couple of impressive mountain ranges that drain into the Pacific humid forest, as well as into the Amazon jungle. Factors like these bring a huge richness to the ecosystem which pre-Columbian humans had to respond to, producing stunning cultural expressions. A picture of this mosaic of settlements, which fostered exchange in ceremonies and cult obje

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: 5Continents (October 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8874393377
• ISBN-13: 978-8874393374
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #496,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars precolumbian Ecuador- clay and gold, May 31, 2008

By 

Antonio Secchi (Padova, Italy) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ecuador: The Secret Art of Precolumbian Ecuador (Hardcover)

The art of precolumbian Ecuador is not widely understood, particularly if you compare this wonderful world to the far more widely known clay and gold from ancient Peru. And, for sure, the former is not less intriguing than the latter if you get involved in trying to read, on clay and gold, the history of those fascinating populations. This book fills an important bibliographic gap and, in my opinion, it was worthwhile to wait so long to finally see such a beautiful publication! From Valdivia to the Inca, all of the regional artistic "desarrollo" unfolds under the reader's eye, with hundreds of perfect pictures making the most exhaustive complement to a text well written, thoroughly clear and detailed although never academic (and boring). Really a beautiful, and important, book!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The splendor of an unknown Precolombian Area, August 9, 2008

By 

Guilluaume Rijcken (Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ecuador: The Secret Art of Precolumbian Ecuador (Hardcover)

This is one of the most revealing and best presented books I have ever seen on a region wrongly considered as minor in the art of Precolombian America.
The texts are well documented and give a good insight in the present day knowledge of the surprisingly little explored archeological sites of Equador. The objects presented in this book are of stunning beauty, emphasised by excellent photography.
Similar quality books should be produced for other socalled minor areas, as Precolombian art is not about the Maya and the Incas only.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, October 11, 2011

By 

Hatbox Dragon (somewhere on a train) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ecuador: The Secret Art of Precolumbian Ecuador (Hardcover)

I bought this because I was intrigued by the cover photo and it had good reviews. I wasn't at all disappointed. The artefacts are beautiful and truly deserve to be considered art, and the photography does them justice. The essays are very readable and are neither overly technical nor dumbed-down. Overall, this book is as educational as it is beautiful to look at.