An elegant 17th century house on Cuenca Street in the historic center of Quito, long
known as the Casa del Alabado (the House of Praise), is today an important museum
of the same name. The Casa del Alabado Museum conserves some 5,000 archaeological
objects created by the ancient peoples who occupied the territory known today as
Ecuador and a finely honed selection of 500 pieces makes up the museum's permanent
exhibition. Here, through superb photographs and expert texts, this book brings this
unique collection of Pre-Columbian art to a wider public, explaining the worldview
and philosophy of indigenous Americans, in particular the importance of preserving
life by maintaining the flow of cosmic energy and spiritual communication between
the distinct worlds that made up their universe. The objects themselves, amazing
in their aesthetic and technical excellence, are masterworks created by ancient artists
in a range of raw materials.
By Ivan Cruz Cevallos
Pgs. 224