The Museum of Anthropology at UBC (MOA) is bringing the world premiere of Tupananchiskama: Ancient Andean Cosmovision, from March 19, 2026–January 3, 2027.
Exploring MOA’s collection of ancient Andean artifacts, guest curator, Luis Manuel González, Adjunct Professor in UBC Department of Anthropology, the bilingual (English and Spanish) exhibition offers a glimpse into Andean cosmovision–a holistic and spiritual framework that explains the structure of the universe. Featuring nearly 100 items crafted from ceramic, textile, bone, shell, and wood, the exhibition considers the ancestral understandings of a world where life and death coexist in a continuous cycle, or“Tupananchiskama” in the Indigenous language of Quechua, which translates to “until life brings us together again.”
“Tupananchiskama is rich in circular symbolism–a salutation that carries within it an assurance that the person bidding farewell will see that person or being again,” says González. “I hope to bring this same sentiment to the exhibition itself. As a Peruvian, I was enacting the promise of Tupananchiskama when coming to these ancient belongings–meeting my ancestors and reanimating their lived experience through the curation of this collection. As a conduit for learning and connection, the exhibition invites visitors from Vancouver and beyond to reflect on the teachings of their own ancestors. I believe there is hope, beauty, and stillness in this form of connection to our past. Three things we are in desperate need of in our fractured and fast-paced world today.”
Tupananchiskama: Ancient Andean Cosmovision draws from MOA’s collection of ancient Andean artifacts, donated to the museum by American art historian, curator, and collector Alan R. Sawyer. While the majority of the pieces on display are ceramics from Peruvian cultures: the Moche on the northern coast and the Nasca on the southern coast, there are also works representing the dynamic Andean cultures across periods of time from hunter-gatherer to Inka through diverse coastal and highland areas. Each civilization left its mark on various materials, and this collection of artifacts highlights the Andes’ unified essence passed down through generations, but also how ideas, concepts, and beliefs shifted and transformed over time and within each community.
MOA will celebrate Tupananchiskama: Ancient Andean Cosmovision’s opening night on Thursday, March 19, 2026, from 6pm to 9pm, with free museum admission for all.
Throughout the exhibition, MOA offers Not-Your-Average Tours: Tupananchiskama a series of special 45 minute public tours of the featured exhibition, each lead by a host knowledgeable on the exhibition taking place April 30, May 28, June 25, September 24 at 7 pm
Tupananchiskama: Ancient Andean Cosmovision, is on display from March 19, 2026–January 3, 2027 at Museum of Anthropology at UBC, 6393 NW Marine Drive. To learn more about the exhibition, as well as ancillary events, visit moa.ubc.ca
The exhibition is supported by Curatorial Liaison Nuno Porto, MOA Curator, Africa + South America and Associate Professor, UBC Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory.