Archaeologists excavating the ancient fortress settlement of Kuélap in northern Peru have uncovered a collection of small stone sculptures believed to have been associated with fertility, reproduction and ritual protection.
The objects, known as illas, depict animals displaying female sexual characteristics and were recovered during archaeological excavations at the celebrated pre-Columbian site, Peru’s Ministry of Culture announced.
Researchers say the unusual artefacts could shed new light on ritual practices at Kuélap and on the interaction between local traditions and religious customs introduced or reinforced during the expansion of the Inca Empire.
Stone Figures Linked to Fertility
According to the Ministry of Culture’s Decentralised Directorate of Culture of Amazonas, the newly discovered sculptures share characteristics with ritual objects known as conopas or illa conopas.
Typically carved from stone and frequently shaped like camelids such as llamas or alpacas, conopas are well documented from the Inca period.
They were associated with rituals intended to encourage fertility and abundance, protect livestock and crops, and promote the wellbeing of households.
Some were regarded as protective or tutelary entities within families. Certain examples contain cavities into which people deposited offerings such as camelid fat, coca leaves or chicha, a traditional fermented beverage.
The objects reflected an Andean worldview in which natural features and ritual artefacts could possess forces or qualities capable of influencing people, animals and their surroundings.
Ritual Objects Had Wider Political Role
Archaeological research indicates that conopas were not restricted to private household rituals.
They could also form part of the wider political and religious system of the Inca state, helping reinforce relationships between households, sacred places known as huacas and imperial authority.
Within this system, the objects could embody concepts including reciprocity, balance, fertility and protection.
The female characteristics represented on the Kuélap figures are particularly significant because they may provide more direct evidence of beliefs surrounding reproduction and fertility at the site.
Researchers say the discovery opens new avenues for investigating how these ritual practices were understood and adapted by the people living at Kuélap.
New Evidence of Inca Influence at Kuélap
Kuélap is best known as a monumental centre of the Chachapoya culture, which flourished in the cloud forests of northern Peru before the region was incorporated into the expanding Inca Empire.
Archaeological evidence shows that Kuélap continued to be occupied during the Late Horizon, the period associated with Inca rule and expansion.
The newly discovered illas can therefore be examined within the broader context of contact between longstanding local beliefs and ritual traditions associated with the wider Andean and Inca world.
According to researchers, the characteristics of the figures suggest a possible connection with concepts of fertility and reproduction.
Further study could establish whether the objects represent the continuation of older local practices, the adoption of Inca traditions or a reinterpretation combining elements of both.
The discovery could ultimately provide archaeologists with a clearer picture of how religious ideas changed at Kuélap as the Chachapoya region became incorporated into one of the largest empires of the pre-Columbian Americas.
Sources : Peruvian State
