Kero

Possibly native of the Lake Titicaca region, the keros were a type of ceremonial beakers with high opening walls that had special importance for highland societies during the pre-Hispanic period. With the European conquest, the keros remain as one of the main media that syncretize iconographic style as a result of the fusion of Occidental and Andean cultures. This kero of carved wood is distinctive for its fine designs that decorate the outer body, achieved by applications of silver nails that form reticulated patterns displayed in two decorative panels. The simplicity of its decoration, in contrast to the polychrome images of the keros of the Early Colonial period may indicate that this piece was probably produced before the arrival of the Spaniards to Inca territory. (CP)