Cleveland Museum of Art

Spatula with Carved Lizard

Date

100 BCE–700 CE

Medium

bone with shell inlay

Culture

Peru, South Coast, Nasca

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Peruvian Indians today regard coca leaf as a sacred substance that creates communion with supernatural forces. The leaves are chewed with powdered lime that in antiquity was stored in containers and scooped with spatulas like those seen here. Aside from its ritual meaning, coca has practical benefits: it is vitamin-rich; like coffee, it induces clear-headedness; and it increases stamina. The lizard spatula is Nasca in style.

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