Adolf Bandelier’s 1892-1894 Expedition to the Central Coast of Peru

Summary

Adolf Francis Alphonse Bandelier (1840-1914) was an ethnologist and archaeologist best known for his work in the American Southwest. What is less well-known is Bandelier’s later years studying the ancient Andes, such as his 1892-1894 expedition on the central coast of Peru. Due to an unstable political environment, he moved his expedition to the Bolivian highlands and instead wrote about highland myths. Shortly thereafter, he passed away while pursuing historical sources in Seville, Spain to supplement his South America research. As part of the late nineteenth century shift towards an emphasis on material culture as a more truthful witness to the human past than the written word, Bandelier emphasized combining geographical, ethnological, and archaeological data to provide a more comprehensive portrayal of ancient societies. Unfortunately, Bandelier never had the opportunity to fully analyze or publish his work in central coast Peru. However, approximately 90 cases of items, including journals, watercolor maps, and photos, from his 1892-1894 expedition reside in the collections of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. This paper presents the details of Bandelier’s life and work from this period based on these archival materials, along with some preliminary examination of the materials he recovered.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17319