UCLA

Objects belonging to past Indigenous cultures often lack provenance information and contextual details, like the La Tolita-Tumaco culture’s “architectural model” I analyze, making it difficult to deduce what they represent, how they were used, or the purpose of their creation. These objects are frequently overlooked, dismissed, and/or continue to be hastily classified as ritualistic, ceremonial, religious, or funerary by default, solely based on their Indigenous origin, echoing colonial biases. In this thesis, I employ Indigenous theory and methods in art history to engage and learn from the object as an extension of the La Tolita-Tumaco culture. I demonstrate how objects from past Indigenous cultures can provide crucial insights through a visual and material analysis. This research not only emphasizes the critical role of these “architectural models” in furthering our understanding of Ecuadorian art histories but also the importance of Indigenous objects and topics research in the field of art history and also challenges conventional notions of “models” and “architecture.”