Herder with llama

Recuay communities (200-700 CE) of highland Ancash (Peru) are known for their elaborate sculptures in clay, comparable to their coastal neighbors, the Moche and the Nasca. This vessel was modeled in the shape of a richly dressed individual leading an adult Andean camelid (a llama or alpaca) and carrying a young camelid, known as a cria in Spanish, under one arm. The two figures were joined by a tube. Although the back of the camelid has an opening, this object can be considered more a ceramic sculpture than a practical container.

The potter shaped the vessel with red clay, later painting the details in the face, hands, and other details with white—likely kaolinite-based—pigments and red ochres. Resist decoration added further details to the composition. The individual wears an imposing headdress, indicating his relatively high rank in the community. Such ornaments likely would have been crafted using fibers and feathers, although no Recuay headdresses have been found to date in the highlands. The individual also wears a decorated tunic, ear flares, and probably a necklace. The upper part of the staff in his right hand bears a resemblance to a San Pedro cactus, a plant commonly used for its psychoactive content. These elegant headdresses and clothes may not have been used on an everyday basis but worn on special occasions, such as large gatherings of community members. This sculpture may depict the presentation of a llama for sacrifice in one of these communal ceremonies.

Hugo C. Ikehara-Tsukayama, Senior Research Associate, Arts of the Ancient Americas, 2023

References and Further Reading

Ibarra Asencios, Bebel (ed.). Arqueología de la sierra de Ancash: Propuestas y perspectivas. Second edition. Lima: Instituto Cultural Rvna, 2004.

Lau, George F. “Feasting and Ancestor Veneration at Chinchawas, North Highlands of Ancash, Peru.” Latin American Antiquity Vol. 13, No. 3 (2002): 279-304.

Lau, George F. Ancient Alterity in the Andes: A Recognition of Others. London: Routledge, 2013.

Lau, George F. An Archaeology of Ancash: Stone, Ruins, and Communities in Andean Peru. London: Routledge, 2016.

Ponte, Victor. “Transformación social y política en el Callejón de Huaylas, siglos III-X d.C.” Boletín de Arqueología PUCP No. 4 (2001): 219-51.