Artifacts
Cal State LA Special Collections and Archives in addition to paper-based materials maintains three-dimensional objects.
MAW Collection
The MAW Collection is comprised of various artifacts from South America, Mesoamerica, Central America, Southwest America, and Midwest America. In 2021, Cal State LA and USC were awarded a nearly $500,000 grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources to catalog and digitize Mesoamerican and Spanish colonial materials, which has supported the accessibility of 360 Mesoamerican artifacts from the pre-classic, proto-classic, and classic period from the MAW collection. The cultures represented are Tlatico, Las Bocas, Chupicuaro, Mexcala, Olmec, Mixtec, Shaft Tomb, Tlapacoya, Zapotec
Collection Call Number: AR 2019.001
Munitz Chess Collection
The collection also includes over 50 chess sets which exhibit a wide variety of artistic styles, materials, and designs, each offering a unique complement to the art of the game. Dr. Barry Munitz served as chancellor of the California State University system from 1991 to 1999 and is currently a Trustee Professor at California State University, Los Angeles.
Collection Call Number: AR 2011.002
Peruvian Textiles
The Peruvian Textiles Collection consists of products of the Chancay, Chimú, and Tiahuanaco cultures, with one example dating back to the Precolombina period. Most of the collection is that of the Chancay, an indigenous group that produced a variety of textiles such as clothing, bags, and funeral masks. The Chancay culture (1200-1450 A.D.) reigned mainly in the valleys of Chancay and Chillón on the central coast of Perú. The Chimú culture was active between the years 1000-1200 AD and embellished their fabrics with brocades, embroidery, fabrics doubles, and painted fabrics. The Tiahuanaco culture, a Pre-Inca civilization, developed between 400 B.C. and 120 A.D. Their typically geometric designs also included images of plants and animals such as fish, cats, birds, monkeys, and dogs. Ultimately, these textiles represent the skill, artistry, and cultural landscape of each civilization. This collection, originating from Lima, Perú and the surrounding cities, was donated by Dr. Ericka Verba, Director of Latin American Studies to the University Library and Special Collections and Archives. The Peruvian textiles were received undated; therefore, their exact dates and original donor are unknown.
Collection Call Number: AR 2018.001