Moche Portraits from Ancient Peru by Christopher B. Donnan, University of Texas Press, $39.95, ISBN 0292716222 Reviewed by Nicholas Saunders
IT is AD 500 on the desert coast of northern Peru. The master potters of the Moche civilisation are creating some of the most dazzling portrait vessels ever seen. These were real people, first appearing as warriors in their prime, then shown stripped and bound ready for sacrifice. Exactly what was happening and why remains a mystery. Meanwhile you can marvel at the stunning images in this excellent book.
