Inca Civilization Exhibition

By Choe Chong-dae

Although Peru is far from Korea geographically, it has now become a bit closer through the exhibition titled ``The Great Myth and Mystery of Peruvian Civilization, Inca," which is being held at the National Museum of Korea through March 28.

I had the pleasure to join a special tour to the national museum, arranged by the Society for the Preservation of the Historic City of Gyeongju for its members during the last weekend of January. We were heartily welcomed by the museum's director, Choe Kwang-shik, and Park Bang-ryong, director of the Collection Management Department. We saw many cultural relics, in particular the very valuable material from the Silla Kingdom that was discovered in the Gyeongju area, before viewing the Inca exhibition under the expert guidance of Kim Jae-hong, its curator.

Numerous visitors of all ages, including foreigners, have shown great interest in the ancient artifacts from the Incan Empire at the special temporary exhibition hall of the museum; and the exhibition truly highlights the culmination of Peruvian civilization. The display has already drawn more than 100,000 visitors since its opening, and that is no great wonder because the exhibition provides a unique and valuable opportunity to appreciate the Incas, one of the most brilliant ancient civilizations in South America.

The exhibition highlights not only the Incan Empire, but also the many ancient Andean civilizations that preceded it and from which it emerged. The exhibition shows some 400 Peruvian cultural artifacts from 20 different civilizations, including the Moche, Chimu, and Inca; they were borrowed from nine museums in Peru, including the National Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History of Peru, and the Lord of Sipan Museum.

At the exhibition, I explored the Peruvian civilization from Chavian culture to the age of Incas and became immersed in an exotic and mysterious, yet strikingly scientific world. It really inspired me and made me feel close to the old days of the Incan Empire during its glory days. One of the most impressive among the cultural relics is a golden ear-ornament decorated with a figure depicting the Load of Sipan that was produced during the Moche period (100-700 A.D).

Another is the sculpture of a ``Feline Figure." Made of gilt bronze, the piece was discovered in the pyramid of King Sipan. The crown is shaped like a snake and has a jaguar head on both ends. In Andean civilizations, the animals such as birds, jaguars and snakes symbolized the power of the sky, land and underground, respectively. Its menacing shape makes it quite intimidating.

The sophisticated craftsmanship of such precious relics on display as ornaments, jars, weapons, textiles, awe-inspiring pottery, sculptures and gold-plated artifacts (including mummies from major museums in Peru) is proof of the brilliance of Inca culture.

In addition, a most interesting object in the exhibition is a mummy from the Chiribaya period (900-1440 A.D.). The area where the mummy was discovered has dry soil with a high amount of salt that facilitates the mummification process. It is noteworthy that the Inca mummified their dead in the seated position as opposed to Egyptian mummies, which are mummified in a supine position. It was an ancient Peruvian custom for animals to be buried with their owners. Two such animals ― a mummified dog and a monkey ― are displayed in the exhibit. I learned that the oldest mummies in the world come from the Inca civilization, not from Egypt.

The original name of the Inca king was ``Son of the Sun". And hence gold became the symbol material of the Inca, since it sparkles like the sun even during the night (at least when there is some moonlight). These beliefs were inherited from the Andean civilization dating back 5,000 years ago, including the Chavian, Moche, Nazca and Wari Empire. The unique artifacts including Peruvian national treasures are very significant because they show the lost culture of Inca Empire's development and civilization and thus introduced me to people who lived on the other side of the world, in what is now South America.

By unlocking the mysteries of ancient Incas, the ``The Great Myth and Mystery of Peruvian Civilization, Inca" exhibition in Korea will surely promote a great understanding of not only Peru but also Latin America.

Choe Chong-dae is the president of Dae-kwang International Co. and the Korean representative of Compagnie Cotonniere of Paris, as well as a longtime director of the Korean-Swedish Association. He can be reached at dlic98@chol.com.