On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Figurine with Miniature Tunic, Mantle, and Bag
Not on view
Dressed figurines were part of an Inca ritual called capac hucha (royal obligation), which marked royal or natural events. In its performance, select children were ritually married in Cusco and then sent on a procession to distant, sacred locations that the Incas sought to fold into their imperial landscape. There, the children were sacrificed and buried with offerings.
Las figurillas vestidas eran parte de un ritual inca llamado Capac hucha ("obligación real"), que marcaba acontecimientos tanto de la realeza como naturales. En ocasión de dicho ritual, unos niños seleccionados contraían matrimonios rituales en Cusco y luego eran enviados en una procesión a localidades alejadas y sagradas que los Incas deseaban añadir a su imperio. Allí, los niños eran sacrificados y enterrados con ofrendas.
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