Inca 600-Year-Old Silver Llama Figurine Preserved at Metropolitan Museum of Art
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · Apr 27
Inca 600-Year-Old Silver Llama Figurine Preserved at Metropolitan Museum of Art
11 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Apr 27
The 2-inch figurine, made from a silver, gold, and copper alloy, was crafted between 1400 and 1535 in South America and is now part of The Met's collection.
This llama effigy, considered a sacred 'huaca', likely played a role in the Inca capac hucha ritual, which involved sacrifices to mark major events.
Llama figurines were significant in Inca rituals and burials, symbolizing the animals' central role in Andean society and their association with both daily life and sacred ceremonies.
Why were metal llamas more spiritually significant than gold to the Inca?
How did Inca artisans craft life-sized golden llamas without wheels or iron tools?
Were Inca child sacrifices brutal victims or honored divine messengers?
How did human sacrifice help the Inca build their vast mountain empire?
Why did the Inca ritually 'repair' child sacrifices after their death?
Millennia before the Inca, who built the first great pyramids of the Americas?