Llama, found near Lake Titicaca, Bolivia, Inca, 15th century

When they arrived in Peru in 1532, the Spanish were far less interested in the Inca cloth than in their vast quantities of gold and silver.  The Inca valued objects made of gold and silver not for their precious metals, but because they saw in them symbols of the sun and the moon.  They are said to have called gold the “sweat of the sun” and silver the “tears of the moon.”  On the other hand, the Spanish exploration of the New World was propelled by feverish tales of native treasure.  Whatever gold and silver objects the Spanish could obtain were melted down to enrich the royal coffers.  Only a few small figures buried like offerings, like the Llama shown escaped destruction.  The llama was thought to have a special connection with the sun, with rain, and with fertility, and a llama was sacrificed to the sun every morning in Cuzco.  In this small figurine, the essential character of the llama is rendered with a few well-chosen details, but in keeping with the value that Andeans placed on textiles the blanket on its back is carefully described.^[1]