Bag with Human Face

600–1000
Overall: 26.7 x 23.2 cm (10 1/2 x 9 1/8 in.); Bag: 26 cm (10 1/4 in.)
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Location: not on view

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This remarkable bag was used to carry coca leaves.

Description

The face on this remarkable bag is decorated with geometric designs that also appear on Wari warrior representations; the circles on the panel beneath the face may refer to an elite tunic made of tie-dyed cloth. The bag was used to carry coca leaves, which in the past and today have important practical and religious purposes in the Andes. Chewing the leaves during physical exertion improves stamina; when used ritually, the leaves initiate communion with cosmic forces.
Bag with Human Face

Bag with Human Face

600–1000

Andes, Wari, Middle Horizon, 6th-10th century

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