Unarchive the museum: archaeological collections and replicas from Ecuador

UNARCHIVE THE MUSEUM: ARCHAEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS AND

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PAMELA CEVALLOS

Resource Guide: “This research process highlighted the importance of analyzing the artistic field within its contexts of circulation and consumption as spaces that generate meaning, value, and legitimacy.”

The aim is to look beyond the exhibited objects and think about the journey of these objects, associating them with not only cultural but also economic values.

-Pamela Cevallos

What do these collages depict?

These watercolor pieces represent objects in Ecuador's National Museums archives, featuring press clippings and moments extracted to create a collage. These pieces show the diversity reflecting different cultures and archaeological sites. Bureau (2014) investigates the complex dynamics of public collecting through the acquisition archives of Ecuador's national museums, established in the mid-20th century by the Central Bank. Through drawing and collage, these works establish connections between the symbolic value of objects as cultural artifacts and their value as monetary reserves. The documents showcase the social and economic networks surrounding these museums and their impact on local communities; many relied on selling their cultural heritage for subsistence.

Notable representations include the Valdivia culture, La Tolita, Manena Arriba culture, the Negativo del Carchi (Capulí), and the Puruhá. Interestingly, many pieces were found by chance, such as when someone was leveling grounds, and the objects appeared.

Numerous original pieces featured in the watercolor collages are in the 'Arte Ecuatoriano' (Art of Ecuador) book from January 1, 1976, currently on display in the exhibition space.

Images from the Historical Collection

Valvida Sculptures As one of the oldest sculptures found in the Southern Hemisphere, Valvida sculptures date back to 3500 BCE. They are associated with agricultural rituals, such as calling for rain. Since most are female, they are also related to things like fertility.

Double-fronted head of Venus Set of Venus

Valdivian Ceremonial bowl

Scan here for information on Valdivia female figurines!

La Tolita La Tolita is an island home to the La Tolita archaeological site, which depicts what is believed to have been a ceremonial site where inhabitants delivered gifts of gold and pottery to the island’s high chief.

Ceramic anthropo-zoomorphic mask

Family in La Tolita

“The Man with the flowery chest” Platinum gold pectoral

Manteña People from the Manteña culture were the first to interact with the Spanish colonizers who arrived in Ecuador in 1526. The population was rediscovered when 60 U-shaped chairs were unearthed, known today as the Silla Manteña, and is now a symbol of their culture. These chairs are thought to represent power in their society.

Death mask of a chief priest

Negativo del Carchi The Negative del Carchi population inhabited the mountainous northern area of Ecuador. Best known for its ceramics, they show complex patterns and designs using geometric shapes. They had robust funeral rituals using gold. This culture came into contact with the Incas in the 15th century and Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century.

Shell necklace

Gold pectoral with embossed feline head

Puruhá The Puruhá were agricultural people who cultivated crops such as maize, squash, and beans.

Known to have beautiful textiles, by the 18th century, few language speakers were left. Today, the language is known as extinct.

Cephalomorphic compotera decorated with ear flaps

Ceramic Replicas The ceramic objects you see on view are replicas of pieces found in the National Museum of Ecuador, sparking a conversation about the tensions between replicas and originals within indigenous material culture. One of these communities is La Pila, located in the province of Manabí, where, in the 1960s, alongside the commercialization of objects, a craft emerged involving the creation of archaeological clay replicas for the antiquities market. Since 2015, I have collaborated with this community to revalue the artisanal knowledge behind these replicas.

The Originals (2024) is a tribute to the memory of the pioneering artisans. Crafted by Angel Gomez, a resident of the Manabi province who is a member of the second generation of artisans, these replicas prompt contemplation on the significance of an object being a replica, those crafted by individuals representing the same cultural heritage in contemporary times. As an expanded archive, Gómez inscribes names of people and places that are part of the community's history.

Scan here to watch Angel Gomez!

Manabi History and Culture Angel Gomez is a “Manabita,” a word used to describe a resident of the Manabi province. The Manabi province is rich in history and culture. The capital of the Manabi province is Portoviejo, the city of Royal Tamarind Trees. The city was founded in 1535, deeming Portoviejo one of the oldest cities in Ecuador. The city is known for its agricultural and lumbering business, including coffee, sugar cane, and cacao production.

Questions to ponder: 1. What characterized cultural management during the emergence of the country's museum institutions?

2. How was the art and archaeology market related during this historical period? And how is the cultural and economic value of objects in collections determined?

3. Beyond the exhibition and museographic display, what potential does the use of museum archives have?

To hear more from Pamela Cevallo, listen to the interview produced by the National Museum of Ecuador in 2022. The video is in Spanish, but YouTube offers English subtitles.

Scan here to watch Pamela Cevallo’s Interview!

english spanish english

https://issuu.com/la-scolaris/docs/catalogo__1975_ https://terremoto.mx/en/revista/replicas-en-transito-patrimonio-y-critica-institucional-desde-la-pila-ecuadorhasta-el-museo-de-america-espana/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20D4yZt1AYQ https://youtu.be/VvimBTpBOZs?si=OTvOnYrZlnfvJfju

Artist website

The catalogue of the exhibition from 2014:

In English I have this article about an exhibition in Spain:

Here is a promo video of the community museum I help to create in La Pila in 2018:}

Here is a link of a video of Angel Gómez working for an exhibition from last year:

english Spanish

https://americanindian.si.edu/exhibitions/infinityofnations/andes/248403.html https://www.ecuador.com/attractions/sights/la-tolita-site/ https://clubjrd.arqueo-ecuatoriana. ec/les_cultures_precolombiennes/entrees/2008/5/29_la_culture_negativo_del_carchi.html https://www.britannica.com/topic/Puruha http://craft-culturalheritage.eu/2021/02/04/mantena-culture-chair/

Valdivia Figurines

Information on Valvida Figurines

Information on La Tolita archeaological site

Information on Nagtivo del Carchi

Information on Puruha

Manteña Culture

English

English

english

english

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/vald/hd_vald.htm

A video of a recent collaboration between the artisans and the National Museum:

spanish

https://www.flickr.com/photos/culturaypatrimonioec/albums/72177720299039571/ https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1288481252097711&ref=sharing

About the archaeological objects from the National collection there is a photo album posted by the Ministry of Culture, they made an album about my work too (also attached in pdf):

spanish

spanish

spanish

https://www.pamelacevallos.net/1975

Interview at the National Museum from 2023:

Language

URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8BC8Rzploc

TITLE

Resource Guide Pamela Cevallos