Cleveland Museum of Art

Bird-Shaped Container

Date

500–900

Medium

wood

Culture

Peru, Wari style (500-900)

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Peruvian Indians today regard coca leaf as a sacred substance that creates communion with deities. 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 and, like coffee, induces clear-headedness. The lizard spatula is Nasca; the other two are Wari.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.