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The gold kero (top) and key tunic are on loan to the Peabody as part of the exhibition Peru: From Village to Empire.

by Tana Sherman

After its 10-month run at the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology ends this summer, the exhibition Peru: From Village to Empire is heading south. In July, Peruvian artifacts, ranging from Moche portrait pots to intricate gold jewelry to exquisite textiles, will be packed for shipment to New Haven, Conn., where they will open at Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History on Sept. 21.

Many of the items, which include original maps from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries and two complete costumes from the 1930s— one for a highland man, one for a highland woman—have never been on exhibit before.

Malinda Blustain of the Robert S. Peabody Museum and James B. Richardson III of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh co-curated the exhibition, which traces the evolution of ancient cultures and the rise of complex society in Peru, from Paleo-Indian camps 13,000 years ago through the Inca Empire to the market-savvy indigenous entrepreneurs of today. Their effort is dedicated to Eugene A. Schnell ’40, in honor of his lifelong interest in Peru and the generous support he and his wife, Ina, provided the museum.

"The exhibition explores more than just the rise of empire. It examines human character and the drive toward mastery of the seen and unseen worlds through ideology and increasing technical ingenuity," says Blustain.

The Peabody worked closely with the United Peruvian Association of the Merrimack Valley, which reviewed exhibition content. Interviews about their native country with members of the association can be heard in the audio portion of the exhibition.

"This partnership has been a way to put into practice our commitment to engage native people in programming and exhibitions centered on their culture," says Beryl Rosenthal, director of museum education.

After its stay in New Haven, the exhibition will open on Jan. 22, 2002, at the University of Maine's Hudson Museum in Orono, Maine.