Pacha: Decolonizing Our Cosmos

An exhibition curated by students in the honors seminar Decolonizing Art and Religion in Spain and the Americas: Resistance, Reparations, and Repair.

The complex idea of worlds and cosmologies have evolved and changed throughout human history; the concept of this world and other worlds holds significant meaning for every culture and civilization. The Quechua word Pacha exemplifies this complex idea. Pacha roughly translates to world. In ancient Incan beliefs, there were three distinct pacha; the hanaq pacha (world above), the kay pacha (this world), and the ukhu pacha (world below). These worlds are distinct from the Christian idea of heaven and hell.

In Central and South America, “world” can represent many ideas. One is the worlds of the Incan and Mayan traditions, as well as the hundreds of other tribes and civilizations that resided in Latin America. Another is the idea of the old world of Europe sailing to the new world of Latin America to colonize and exploit the land and the people.

In decolonizing the art, history, and religion of the Americas, we work not only to deconstruct and analyze the world presented by the colonizers of these lands, but also the worlds that were obscured, erased, and lost but are now being reclaimed. We invite you to join us temporarily on our journey and continue on your own adventure once our paths, and worlds, diverge.