Ritual Votive Depicting a Camelid with Condor Markings
Nasca culture
11-1/2" long

Andeans discriminate between two kinds of alpacas: suri, which yield long, lustrous strands; and wakayo, which produce a shorter, less silky fiber. The distinction is the most basic of the elaborate categories of naming and classifying camelids by color, patterning and the quality and properties of their fleece. This nuanced, precise vocabulary for describing the diverse appearances of their herds persists in modern Quechua and Aymara communities.

Birds, especially water fowl and raptors, have been a rich source of names for the camelid patterning and coloration since pre-Columbian times. The oral tradition can be traced back to the Inka period, but this talismanic Nasca object reveals that the aesthetic-symbolic reference was in place much earlier.

Named for a bird of prey, an allqa llama or alpaca is distinguished by sharply contrasting patches of dark and light fleece, which remind Andeans of the falcon's plumage. Here, the avian comparison is extended by a white collar around the neck, recalling the ruff of kunturi, the condor.