Female Figure Carrying Burden on Back
Date
400-600
Creator
Location
Raclin Murphy Museum of Art
Depictions of women occur frequently in Andean art, as women held high-status positions prior to the arrival of the Spanish and were essential to bringing balance and order. Duality was extremely important to ancient Andean cultures. It represented the idea that reciprocity and exchange between two seemingly oppositional halves was necessary for productive and enduring relationships. Duality maintained order and balance in life, a concept which extended to gender. Such gendered complementarity underscored all social and political spheres.
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