Quero (qero, kero) with incised tocapu

By the Spanish conquest, the tall wooden cup was called a quero (qero, kero), meaning “wood,” in Quechua. The specialized wood carvers were known as querocamayoc. Similar beakers of lesser value were made in ceramic, while the most valuable goblets, called aquilla, were made in silver and gold. This example of a carved wooden vessel reflects the development of inlaid resin paints during the Spanish colonial period. Colonial cups often incorporate modified profile felines, stepped diamonds, and tocapu, common to earlier pre-Hispanic textiles and ceramic vessels.