Giancarlo Puppo believes that Western esthetic bias and preponderant public notice given to the monumental remains of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica and Peru have been the primary contributors to a general unawareness of Argentina’s pre-Hispanic arts. To correct this oversight, he has carefully selected and photographed, in both black-and-white and color, some 250 examples of Argentine pre-Hispanic works of art. And, indeed, what a revelation these ancient masterpieces are. These seldom seen works are from private collections, including the author’s, and public museums. A collector’s vision is, in fact, evident in the choice of works illustrated, the photographic composition of illustrations, and the commentaries accompanying the illustrations.
Because Puppo has set out to destroy the myth that Argentina had no pre-Hispanic art, his book is composed primarily of photographic illustrations. These are accompanied by a brief text dealing with the development of Argentine pre-Hispanic culture, art styles, and chronology—drawn principally from the work of Alberto Rex González, Argentina’s foremost pre-Hispanic archaeologist and author of the foreword. The illustrated works are cataloged and a brief bibliography is also included in this publication. The text is presented in the original Spanish as well as in English. Difficulties exist in the English translation; however, they are far outweighed by the unusual opportunity afforded by this publication to see assembled under one cover Argentina’s little-known pre-Hispanic arts.
