Ceremonial Vessel (Paqcha)
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Object Label
This ceramic paqcha, or ritual vessel, was used to make offerings of chicha (a fermented maize beer) to Pachamama, or Mother Earth. The liquid was poured into the llama’s head and then flowed down an interior chamber to the ground below.
Esta cerámica paqcha, o vasija ritual, se usaba para hacer ofrendas de chicha (cerveza de maíz fermentado) a la Pachamama, o Madre Tierra. El líquido se derramaba sobre la cabeza de la llama y se filtraba a una cámara interior y después a la tierra.
Caption
Inca. Ceremonial Vessel (Paqcha), 1470–1532. Ceramic, 5 3/4 x 4 x 9 13/16 in. (14.6 x 10.2 x 24.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Collection Fund, 30.884. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.30.884_side.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Ceremonial Vessel (Paqcha)
Date
1470–1532
Period
Pre-Spanish
Geography
Place found: North Coast, Peru
Medium
Ceramic
Classification
Dimensions
5 3/4 x 4 x 9 13/16 in. (14.6 x 10.2 x 24.9 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Collection Fund
Accession Number
30.884
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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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