A Paris Show That's as Good as (Incan) Gold - NYTimes.com: "The Inca Gold exhibition at the Pinacotheque (28, place de la Madeleine; 33-1-42-68-02-01; pinacotheque.com) brings together 253 rare pieces that offer a glimpse into the origins and mysteries of the Inca empire. On loan from Peruvian museums, they together conjure up the flamboyance and glory of the most remarkable of the pre-Colombian civilizations.
When the Incas established themselves in the Cuzco region of the Andes around the 13th or 14th century, they built on the remains of numerous preceding cultures. The show includes fine gold and silver pieces from these pre-Incan societies, illustrating the continuity of traditions that came to their finest flowering in the century of Incan dominance that ended in 1533, when the Spanish conquistadors put to death the Inca leader Atahualpa."
