Camelid Conopa
Inca
1 of 3
Object Label
Small stone figurines, or conopas, of llamas and alpacas were the most common ritual effigies used in the highlands of Peru and Bolivia. These devotional objects were often buried in the animals’ corrals to bring protection and prosperity to their owners and fertility to the herds. The cylindrical cavities in their backs were filled with offerings to the gods in the form of a mixture including animal fat, coca leaves, maize kernels, and seashells.
Caption
Inca. Camelid Conopa, 1470–1532. Stone, 3 1/16 x 2 3/16 x 4 3/4in. (7.8 x 5.6 x 12.1cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.224.85. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Frequent Art Questions
How were these used?
These vessels by the Inca were all intended for ceremonial purposes. Rituals for fertility and protection occurred throughout the Andes, where farming, herding, and trade were key aspects of life. These ritual vessels were filled with offerings of llama fat, shells, coca leaves, etc. and buried in animal corrals to promote animal fertility. All of these vessels come from the Inca, who built an empire that encompassed nearly the entirety of the Andean highlands and coast until the arrival of the Spanish.
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