The volume presents the cultures of peoples from the Arctic in the north to the southernmost extreme, through works and objects held in the Vatican from the sixteenth century up to the present day, which recount traditions, artistic expressions and everyday life. The book is divided into four broad sections illustrating cultural treasures according to geographical area: Alaska and North America up to Mexico, with ritual masks, Wampum belts, pipes, carpets and miniatures; Central America, with the pre-Columbian collection of characteristic terracotta statuettes, the precious Borgia Codex, sculptures and anthropomorphic objects; and South America, from the Caribbean to the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, with its Jamaican crown, the coral crucifix from Santo Domingo donated to John Paul II, Christopher Columbus' missal stand from Cuba, and necklaces and other ornaments. Finally, there is a special section of great historic value, the Ferdinand Pettrich's "Indian Museum", composed of thirty-three plaster sculptures depicting Native Americans.
The volume is richly illustrated with archive photographs, full page images of the works and evocative panoramic views of their places of origin.