Pacopampa Stela

1200–500 BCE
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This stone monument from Pacopampa in Peru’s northern highlands features a figure carved in low relief with incised details. The head has rectangular eyes, and fluids appear to emanate downward from its mouth; the diamond-shaped form on the chest may represent a Strombus shell. Upraised arms and diagonal extensions from the waist give the figure a spiderlike quality. Jaws in the lower abdomen may represent female genitalia.



Este monumento de piedra originaria del sitio de Pacopampa, en las tierras altas del norte de Perú, presenta una figura tallada en bajo relieve con incisiones detalladas. La cabeza tiene ojos rectangulares y pareciera que salieran fluidos desde su boca hacia abajo; la forma de diamante en el pecho podría representar la concha Strombus. Los brazos levantados y las extensiones diagonales de la cadera le dan un aspecto de arácnido. Las fauces en la parte inferior del abdomen podrían representar los genitales femeninos.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Pacopampa Stela
  • Date: 1200–500 BCE
  • Geography: Peru
  • Culture: Chavín
  • Medium: Stone
  • Dimensions: H. 40 7/16 × W. 16 9/16 × D. 9 13/16 in. (102.7 × 42 × 25 cm)
  • Classification: Stone-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Museo Larco, Lima, Peru (ML300025)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing