Object and Apparition
Envisioning the Christian Divine in the Colonial Andes
In 1532, when Christianity first came to the Andes, Spanish colonizers translated Christian texts and music into the native languages and did their damnedest to open the hearts of Andeans to the message of Christ, virgin birth, and the notion of salvation. Object and Apparition is convincing in its premise that the locals were skeptical until sculptors, painters, and other visual artists “began to use local materials—often metals, pigments, and fibers that were sacred within the Andean worldview—to represent key Christian subjects.”
Catholicism is practiced with a distinct Spanish and indigenous flair in the Andes, and Maya Stanfield-Mazzi’s archival research and exploration of the region’s principal religious artworks (the book includes fifty-three photos and nine color plates) makes for fascinating reading.
Reviewed by
Matt Sutherland
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