Paccha decorated with five representations of the Spondylus shell

This jar with representations of Spondylus was probably made in the north coast of Peru after the year of 1470 AD, during the Inca occupation of the Jequetepeque Valley. This is a paccha, a ceremonial vessel used in divination rituals; the fluids are poured into the vessel from the upper part and circulate through a series of hidden pipes reaching the spout. The piece has the typical shape of an Inca vessel with flattened border and over its body five Spondylus have been represented. It is of an extremely sophisticated quality and it was fired to a given temperature in order to obtain an unusual color similar to that of bivalves, a characteristic which denotes its elegance even more so. According to the Inca religious beliefs, there was an intimate relationship between water and agricultural fertility, and pacchas constitute a summary of this sacred relationship. In Andean pre-Columbian coastal or highland societies, Spondylus shells (mullu in Quechua) had and extremely high ritual value and were used as offerings to propitiate rain and fertility. (CM)