Recuay Dragon Silver Earrings

The two earrings (not part of a pair, but single examples), are decorated with a "Recuay dragon", or "crested dragon", depicted in profile. This mythical figure, a mix between a feline and a snake, has been part of the Andean iconography since the 1st century BC, within an area that goes from the Northern Coast of Peru to the Cordillera Blanca, where the small city of Recuay is located - whence the creature's name comes from. Often the dragon is also represented on ritual objects used by local élite and on signs that symbolize élite's power, probably in relation to their ability to communicate with the forces of Nature.