Stirrup-spout Bottle
Artist/Maker
Moche
(North Coast, Peru)
Date100-800
Mediumpottery and slip paint
DimensionsOverall: 5 1/8 x 6 1/4 x 5 5/8 in. (13 x 15.9 x 14.3 cm)
ClassificationsContainers
Credit LineGift of S. Hosmer Compton
Terms
Object number89.0152
DescriptionLarge lizards were considered a valuable food source. They subsisted on the seeds of the Anadenanthera colubrina, related to the acacia tree. The seeds, which were believed to have medicinal powers, are very bitter. The Moche believed that if they ate the lizards they would also benefit from the seeds' healing properties without suffering the bitter taste. According to Peter Furst (1972:65), the seeds were also made into a potent snuff which, when mixed with an alcoholic beverage called chicha, became a sacred substance for rituals.On View
Not on viewCollections
18th century
