...and then the Incas Arrived [antikvár]

: i . I' ;r ,1 ! I ^ i ' r ¦ '. i'i Ana Verde Casanova The cultural development that took place in the Central Andes is a part of Peru's past, the roots of which stretch back thousands of years and culminate in the Inca culture. However, this process should not be regarded as distinct periods with separate cultures developing in relative isolation followed by their respective periods of decline. The culture of the Andes should rather be perceived as one particular process with an accumulation of knowledge and experience proliferating to the more remote areas, during which time periods of individual cultures alternated with periods of territorial unity. This unity was imposed by either ideology or by force of arms. It is worthy of note that there was contact and interaction between the peoples of the coastal areas and the highlands regarding material culture as well as ideology and religion, and that the individual ethnic groups exerted an influence upon one another or maintained ties via commerce. The desolate and inhospitable Andes region is composed of many diverse ecological and climatic zones such as the deserts, the valleys nestling between the mountain ranges, and the highlands (puna or altiplano). Man had to adapt to the geological features of these regions in order to successfully exploit the resources of his environment. This could only be achieved by respecting nature and the gods that maintained it and manifested themselves through the given natural features. The main emphasis of the exhibition is on the cultural history of Peru before the Spanish conquest. The exhibition uses Chavin culture as its starting point - which until quite recently was regarded as the cradle of Andean civilization - and traces the course