Miniature human and animal figurines were often deposited as offerings, which sometimes accompanied human burials or sacrifices. The male and female figurines were composed of high-value gold, silver, or Spondylus shell. The female hair is often tied behind the back while the males bear distinguishing headdresses. This male figure wears a distinctive headdress and also exhibits a bulge in the right cheek, which suggests the chewing of a coca quid.
Examples found archaeologically are often associated with sacrifices of male and female juveniles preserved at high-altitude sites through a ritual known as capacocha (qhapac hucha). The figurines are clothed in miniature elite Inca textiles, such as feather headdresses, mantles, and dresses with miniature metal pins (tupu). The small-scale clothing may closely parallel that worn by the juveniles themselves.
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