Abstract
Pachacamac is the name of the 15th-16th century Inca sanctuary on the Peruvian coast as well as the name of one of the principal oracles of Inca divinities. This effigy would have been destroyed by Pizarro in 1533 during his visit to the great monumental complex, and as such the originality and antiquity of the wooden statue—the so-called Pachacamac Idol—have been the subject of much controversy and debate. We present here previously unpublished dates that confirm its manufacture during the Middle Horizon (AD 500–1000), as well as evidence of its original polychromy. Traces of colors were observed on its different sections with portable microscopy and analyses with two different X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometry techniques, leading to identification of yellow, white, and red mineral pigments, including the presence of cinnabar. Dated between the 8th and 9th centuries, the statue would have been worshipped for almost 700 years, from the time of its creation to the time of the Spanish conquest, when Pachacamac was a major place of pilgrimage. These data not only offer a new perspective on Pachacamac’s emblematic sacred icon, but also on the colorful practices of the Pre-Hispanic Andes.
Highlights
The use of colored paint produced from mineral pigments on the surfaces of sculptures and architecture relating to the religious cults of ancient Greece and Rome has been widely demonstrated
The sample wood from the Pachacamac Idol is composed of fragments of mature as well as juvenile wood, which is characterized by its notable ring curvature and the presence of pith cells
This identification differs from the results of another earlier taxonomic analysis of three other wooden statues from Pachacamac, acquired by Captain Berthon in 1911 and offered to the Musee du Trocadero in Paris, today belonging to Musee du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac
Summary
The use of colored paint produced from mineral pigments on the surfaces of sculptures and architecture relating to the religious cults of ancient Greece and Rome has been widely demonstrated. For many centuries these material expressions were thought to have been monochromatic—given the lack of empirical evidence confirming their polychromy; a paradigmatic illustration of a past idealized as pure and white [1,2]. These works are seen in their original polychrome as the result of varied chemical analyses [3,4]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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