Breastplates

Room 12, Vitrine 143

Shell, stone, metal
Peruvian Northern Coast
1250 BC – 800 AD
ML100184, ML200007

The personal adornments of the elite were manufactured from materials which were not readily accessible to the general populace. These pieces tell us that the elite enjoyed exclusive access to prestige items. Such items included seashells from tropical seas, such as Strombus and Spondylus, and gemstones such as turquoise and chrysocolla.