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Larry Bannock, Big Chief of the Golden Star Hunters at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, dances in an elaborate costume made of orange and yellow feathers and patterns of beads
Michael P. Smith, “Larry Bannock, Big Chief, Golden Star Hunters” (1982), United States. © The Historic New Orleans Collection. All images © the artists, courtesy of TASCHEN, shared with permission

The Newest Addition to ‘The Library of Esoterica’ Explores Sacred Sites Around the World

Kate Mothes

From ancient pyramids to subterranean labyrinths to mountaintop meccas, we have always been drawn to visiting or building sites that inspire reverence and awe. Since time immemorial, humans have venerated the sun and stars, the earth, and countless deities, organizing our routines and celebrations around the seasons, solstices, and special holidays.

Sacred Sites, the forthcoming 520-page book in TASCHEN’s ongoing The Library of Esoterica series, celebrates how we traverse and transform the world around us through ritual and art. Compiled by Jessica Hundley, Sacred Sites surveys a remarkable array of places and artworks through more than 400 images centered around pilgrimage, performance, and devotion.

Famed locations like Machu Picchu in Peru or giant Buddha statues carved from rocky hillsides in China are complemented by contemporary pieces like Ra Paulette’s painstakingly hand-chiseled “Tree of Life Cave” or Daniel Martin Diaz’s ode to ancient sacred symbolism in “Pyramid Frequencies.” Through an emphasis on beauty and a sense of wonder, Sacred Sites celebrates a range of historical and contemporary places and artworks that tap into the idolized or holy.

Find your copy in the Colossal Shop.

an ornate hand-carved desert cave artwork featuring patterns and flowers chiseled into naturally undulating forms with light filtering in from the top
Ra Paulette, “Tree of Life Cave” (2011-2019), United States. Photo by Nicolas Peña
a black-and-white artwork depicting a pyramid with frequencies emitting from symbols on top
Daniel Martin Diaz, “Pyramid Frequencies” (2021), United States
a photograph of a large structure in India devoted to sun worship featuring a large stone column in the center with rays radiating from its base out to walls
Ram Yantra at Jantar Mantar, 1724, Delhi, India. Photo courtesy of Dorling Kindersley/UIG/Bridgeman Images
a spread from the book 'Sacred Sites' with a black-and-white photograph on the left of a person in a triangular sculptural shape outside and, on the right, a geometric illustration of a star
a view looking upward at an Italian cathedral ceiling made of black-and-white marble
Unknown artist, Rocchetta Mattei Chapel, 19th century, Italy. Photo by Godong / Bridgeman Images
a large Buddha statue carved out of a mountainside in China, half overgrown at the base
Unknown artist, Buddha Statue, 8th century, China. Photo by akg-images / Erich Lessing
a spread from the book 'Sacred Sites' featuring images of modernist architecture
a painting by William Blake depicting angels walking up a spiral staircase to a blazing sun
William Blake, “Jacob’s Ladder” (1800-1803), pen and watercolor on paper, England. Photo courtesy of Bridgeman Images
an aerial view of a communal farming village in Israel in which buildings and fields radiate out from a central residential area
Yann Arthus-Bertrand, “Moshav (co-operative village) farm at Nahalal, Jezrael plain, Israel (32°41’ N, 35°13’ E)”
an artwork by Christo and Jeanne-Claude of a statue wrapped in fabric
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, “Wrapped Monument to Leonardo” (1970), Bulgaria and Morocco. Photo by Harry Shunk
the cover of the book 'Sacred Sites' showing a photograph of the Earth taken from the Moon

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