South America

Objects in this category relate to the many cultures that developed across South America before the modern period. The antiquities highlight artistic traditions, belief systems, and the ways material culture played a role in social and ceremonial life.

Chavín hammered gold plaque with fanged deity and serpent border, 500–200 BCE

Gold Plaque (500-200 BCE)

Antiquities Ceremonial & Religious Chavin Culture South America

Hammered between 500 and 200 BCE, this gold plaque from Peru’s Chavín culture shapes a fanged deity with sixteen serpents along the edges.