Illas conopas

Illas conopas are small stone vessels in the shape of camelids, with an opening on the back in which animal fat was placed, as an offering to the sacred mountain gods central to the Andean worldview, and known as “apus” or “wamanis”.
The meticulous depiction of their anatomy and wool in these objects demonstrates the closeness of the relationship between these animals and the people of the plains and valleys of the high Andes.
It is important to remember that the llama (Lama glama) is a product of the domestication of the guanaco (Lama guanicoe), and the alpaca (Lama pacos) is the result of the domestication of the vicuña (Lama vicugna). Both domestication processes occurred around 4000-3500 BC. Since the Pre-Hispanic period, camelids have been an essential component of the rural economy.
Illas conopas are used as ritual offerings, made by shepherds to the deities they believe protect their animals from disease and inclement weather. For the Andean people, healthy livestock guarantees the supply of wool, leather, fresh and jerked meat (charki, in Quechua), all of which are important products in the lives of rural communities.