Vessel with ritual scene

The Recuay communities (200-700 CE) of highland Ancash (Peru) are known for their elaborate sculptures in clay, as are their better-known contemporaries on the coast, Moche and Nasca. Recuay potters used a type of white clay known as kaolinite to create distinctive vessels and figurines, but they also achieved a similar effect using a more common red clay that they then painted with a creamy white slip, such as on this vessel with modeled figures on its deck.

Although now somewhat eroded, the surface of this vessel was once covered with fine detail created through a multi-step process known as resist painting. The panels on the vessel’s lower body were filled with images of mythological creatures—a feline or canine in a rampant pose.

The figures on the deck are arranged in such a way as to suggest a complex scene. The primary figure is larger than the others and placed in the center of the composition, the other figures facing him. Likely male, given his crescent-shaped headdress and ear ornaments, he may represent a leader (known as a curaca in later periods). He is shown lying on his stomach on a mantle or rug. Surrounding this main character, five smaller figures, perhaps female, are shown holding cups in their hands. Facing the curaca, two additional figures wearing mantles and smaller headdresses present an Andean camelid, perhaps a llama or an alpaca (see 1978.412.146). The scene, which includes an ornamented wall behind the curaca, suggestive of sacred space, may represent a traditional feasting ceremony, complete with the offering of a camelid.

This sculptural vessel emphasizes one aspect of Recuay authority: the responsibility of organizing ceremonies where community members share food and drink. These special occasions were opportunities to celebrate traditions and renew friendships and alliances. In the Andes, such occasions involved prominent deceased individuals transformed into ancestor bundles, underscoring the persistence of their power in daily life. The curaca’s prone position makes the vessel appear as if it were his body. This perspective may reveal a different aspect of rulership: the curacas and their subjects as the head and body of their communities, respectively.

The vessel was modeled with a large opening on one side and a smaller spout on the other. This kind of vessel, known as a paccha, is thought to be related to water rituals. If so, this object reveals in its composition the intimate relationship between rulers, feasts, water, and community in this part of the Central Andes.

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

References and Further Reading

Gero, Joan M. “Feast and Females: Gender Ideology and Political Meals in the Andes.” Norway Archaeological Review Vol. 15, No. 1 (1992): 15-30.

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.