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Source Description
The face on this bag is decorated with geometric designs that also appear on Wari warrior representations; the circles on the panel beneath the face may refer to an elite tunic made of tie-dyed cloth. The bag was used to carry coca leaves, which in the past and today have important practical and religious purposes in the Andes. Chewing the leaves during physical exertion improves stamina; when used ritually, the leaves initiate communion with cosmic forces.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
169523
label
Bag with Human Face
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
169523
contentType
object
title
Bag with Human Face
description
The face on this bag is decorated with geometric designs that also appear on Wari warrior representations; the circles on the panel beneath the face may refer to an elite tunic made of tie-dyed cloth. The bag was used to carry coca leaves, which in the past and today have important practical and religious purposes in the Andes. Chewing the leaves during physical exertion improves stamina; when used ritually, the leaves initiate communion with cosmic forces.
date
600–1000
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80076926
genreSpecific
Mixed Media
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 26.7 x 23.2 cm (10 1/2 x 9 1/8 in.); Bag: 26 cm (10 1/4 in.)
cul
Andes, Wari, Middle Horizon, 6th-10th century
accession
2011.35
Source extras
tec
alpaca or llama hide, human hair, pigment, cotton; coca leaf contents
tombstone
Bag with Human Face, 600–1000. Andes, Wari, Middle Horizon, 6th-10th century. Alpaca or llama hide, human hair, pigment, cotton; coca leaf contents; overall: 26.7 x 23.2 cm (10 1/2 x 9 1/8 in.); bag: 26 cm (10 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2011.35
collection
AA - Andes
didYouKnow
This bag was used to carry coca leaves.
citations
citation
Bergh, Susan E., Luis Guillermo Lumbreras, and Luis Jaime Castillo. <em>Wari: Lords of the Ancient Andes.</em> [New York]: Thames & Hudson; [Cleveland] : The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2012.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 277, cat. 157; Reproduced: p. 22, fig. 18; cover
citation
Mann, C. Griffith, and Amy Bracken Sparks. "Acquisitions 2011." <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em> 52, no. 2 (March/April 2012): 10-27.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 20-21
creditline
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:42:33.034000
sourceId
169523
dept
Art of the Americas
coll
AA - Andes
med
alpaca or llama hide, human hair, pigment, cotton; coca leaf contents
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
1d10b970d8f22f96