Cleveland Museum of Art

Bag with Human Face

Date

600–1000

Medium

alpaca or llama hide, human hair, pigment, cotton; coca leaf contents

Culture

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

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The face on this 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. This bag was used to carry coca leaves.

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