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Maker(s):Unknown
Culture:Pre-Columbian, Inca
Title:Alpaca effigy (conopa)
Date Made:1476–1534
Type:Sculpture
Materials:black stone
Place Made:South America; Peru; Cuzco region
Measurements:Overall: 2 1/2 in x 3 3/4 in x 1 11/16 in; 6.4 cm x 9.5 cm x 4.3 cm
Accession Number:  AC 1975.32
Credit Line:Gift of President Emeritus Charles W. Cole (Class of 1927)
Museum Collection:  Mead Art Museum at Amherst College
1975-32.jpg

Description:
Black stone with a carved hole in the back.

Label Text:
First domesticated in the Andes around 4000 B.C.E., llamas and alpacas became major elements of the Andean agricultural economy by 2500 B.C.E. The Inca filled the cavities in alpaca stone effigies, or conopas, with offerings of fat from the animal, then either buried them in fields to promote alpaca fertility or placed them in the home for protection.

Tags:
utensils; decoration and ornament

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+1975.32

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.

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