<DIV><p>For the Incas, gold had an ideal meaning and took on value only after being transformed into a symbolic shape. The jewelry was used as a mediator between the world of humans and the world of the gods.</p><p>This richly illustrated book, which appeared on the occasion of the special exhibition of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Monument Völklinger Hütte, presents about 120 masterpieces from the Larco Museum in Peru: gold objects, crowns, headdresses, ear pegs, and other cult objects.</p><p>Along with the gold objects, the illustrated book shows numerous ceramic pieces, almost unknown in the United States and Europe, from the pre-Inca cultures, including the erotic ceramics of the Moche.</p></DIV>