Vicús body adornment can be deciphered from the various pieces of metal jewellery that have been found in tombs. The layout of the Vicús tomb was quite different from those of their Moche contemporaries and other neighbours. The Vicús tomb comprised a long shaft about 10 to 15 metres deep, off which lay a small chamber. In some sites, several such rooms have been found off one shaft.¹

Along with their pottery, the Vicús were renowned for their advanced metalwork techniques. All manner of regalia—including headdresses, necklaces, pectorals, ritual masks and nose, ear and arm ornaments—has been encountered in the tombs. Small metal ornaments—which the Vicús would have attached to their clothes as decoration—have also been found. The Vicús wore a variety of different jewellery on their wrists and upper arms. While these fine narrow bracelets were worn tightly around the wrist, other bolder forms were fashioned from larger sheets that would be moulded around the forearm, covering the wearer from the wrist upwards and sometimes stretching as far as the elbow. Similar coverings were also worn on the upper arm, from just above the elbow to the shoulder. Unlike these bracelets, the cuffs did not join all the way around the arm.

Adornment of this type of gold jewellery was reserved for Vicús dignitaries on ceremonial occasions. Balance and symmetry were important to ancient Peruvians, and bracelets like these were worn in pairs. However, while very similar in appearance, these are not necessarily such a pair, as there is no evidence that they were found in the same tomb. The lengths of the bracelets are also slightly different. Both, however, demonstrate one of the standard Vicús techniques for gold jewellery construction: they are formed from a series of small gold beads strung together with thread through tiny holes cut in them. Each bead has been moulded into a hemispherical form surrounded by a concentric ring. The hollow beads were constructed in two parts—the side joins where they were soldered together are still visible.

Simeran Maxwell

1. Luis Guillermo Lumbreras, ‘The Vicús culture’, in Peru: Art from the Chavín to the Incas, Milan: Skira 2006, p. 43.

Vicús body adornment can be deciphered from the various pieces of metal jewellery that have been found in tombs. The layout of the Vicús tomb was quite different from those of their Moche contemporaries and other neighbours. The Vicús tomb comprised a long shaft about 10 to 15 metres deep, off which lay a small chamber. In some sites, several such rooms have been found off one shaft.¹

Along with their pottery, the Vicús were renowned for their advanced metalwork techniques. All manner of regalia—including headdresses, necklaces, pectorals, ritual masks and nose, ear and arm ornaments—has been encountered in the tombs. Small metal ornaments—which the Vicús would have attached to their clothes as decoration—have also been found. The Vicús wore a variety of different jewellery on their wrists and upper arms. While these fine narrow bracelets were worn tightly around the wrist, other bolder forms were fashioned from larger sheets that would be moulded around the forearm, covering the wearer from the wrist upwards and sometimes stretching as far as the elbow. Similar coverings were also worn on the upper arm, from just above the elbow to the shoulder. Unlike these bracelets, the cuffs did not join all the way around the arm.

Adornment of this type of gold jewellery was reserved for Vicús dignitaries on ceremonial occasions. Balance and symmetry were important to ancient Peruvians, and bracelets like these were worn in pairs. However, while very similar in appearance, these are not necessarily such a pair, as there is no evidence that they were found in the same tomb. The lengths of the bracelets are also slightly different. Both, however, demonstrate one of the standard Vicús techniques for gold jewellery construction: they are formed from a series of small gold beads strung together with thread through tiny holes cut in them. Each bead has been moulded into a hemispherical form surrounded by a concentric ring. The hollow beads were constructed in two parts—the side joins where they were soldered together are still visible.

Simeran Maxwell

1. Luis Guillermo Lumbreras, ‘The Vicús culture’, in Peru: Art from the Chavín to the Incas, Milan: Skira 2006, p. 43.