This catalogue presents around 200 artifacts from Irene and Peter Ludwig's collection of pre-Columbian art from the Americas. The works are organized thematically and ethnically, looking at pottery of the Mimbres culture; Mayan works in jade and the diversity of cultures in postclassic Western Mesoamerica (Toltecs, Aztecs, Mixtecs, Zapotecs and Tarascans); the development of early cultures in the Central Andes; ancient Peruvian erotic sculpture; metallurgy in the pre-Hispanic Andes; ritual drinking and libation; and many other topics and genres. A final section considers the appropriation of the pre-Columbian past throughout history and in the present. Also included are timelines of ancient American cultures. The Ludwig Collection today is part of the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum in Cologne.