Virgin of the Sun
Location: Peru
Description:
These two images are colored engravings taken from the same original source. The original image is that listed first, with the English title, from The Present State of Peru. The most interesting facet of these images, and a glimpse into the varied mentality of the time, is the pictured race of the Virgin. In the original, British version, the Virgin is illustrated as dark-skinned, as a native of Peru would surely have been. The French version, believed to be a reproduction of the first, shows the girl as light-skinned.
Despite the racial difference, the images are practically identical. The coloration is a bit different, but their costume is the same. They both wear an ankle length dress of a blue-green hue with a white cape of some thick material overtop. The cape is secured over the shoulders by a brooch with the face of the sun placed squarely in the center of her chest. Her golden crown is clearly symbolic of her status as the virgin and she also wears earrings of gold.
Unfortunately, significance of this particular vision of symbolism is not described in the text, but we can be sure that her ceremonial costume and ornamentation were traditional parts of the rituals of her people.
Book Title: The Present State of Peru
Plate Number: Page 263
Call Number: F3411 .S62