Piquillacta offering figure Huari

Dated: 600 - 1000

Cultural Context: Huari

Origin: Piquillacta. Cuzco Region. Peru

Medium: Turquoise

Technique: Carved, Polished

Object Dimensions: Height: 4.8 cm; Width: 2.20 cm

Set Dimensions: Heights range from 18 to 52 cm

Object Inventory no.: 08826

Set Inventory no.: 08826 - 08864

This set of pieces is part of a cache of offerings found in 1927 in Piquillacta, the ancient administrative centre of the Huari culture (600-1000 C.E.), located near Cuzco. The offering consists of a bronze pin, forty turquoise figurines, and seven Spondylus valves. It was found underneath a slab of pavement within an architectural complex believed to be an oracle, as well as an administrative centre and the official residence of the political and/or religious elite of this pre-Incan culture.

Several details of the anthropomorphic figures stand out: they appear to be men, with their heads being depicted as larger in size compared to their bodies, with individual facial features and expressions, which, along with their distinct clothing and headdress, allow us to assume that they were depictions of specific individuals. The different headdresses could be emblems identifying different communities, meaning that these are possibly elite figures from various communities or lineages, coming together for a joint ceremony. One of them, with similar features and clothing, has his hands tied behind his back, which doubtlessly indicates a sacrificial victim.

The green colour of the stone used could have a symbolic meaning, and the presence of the Spondylus suggests that this ceremony may have been related to the need for rain.