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Source Description
Size suggests that this Chavín-style mortar was not used to grind bulky staples like corn, but instead pigments or plant hallucinogens used in religious rites to achieve spiritual insight and communion with cosmic forces. This may come from Pacopampa, a site in the northern highlands where elites adopted Chavín deities and worshiped them alongside local deities. These small sculptures illustrate the appeal and the spread of Chavín religion.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
134946
label
Feline Mortar
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
134946
contentType
object
title
Feline Mortar
description
Size suggests that this Chavín-style mortar was not used to grind bulky staples like corn, but instead pigments or plant hallucinogens used in religious rites to achieve spiritual insight and communion with cosmic forces. This may come from Pacopampa, a site in the northern highlands where elites adopted Chavín deities and worshiped them alongside local deities. These small sculptures illustrate the appeal and the spread of Chavín religion.
date
700–1 BCE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60760652
genreSpecific
Stone
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 5.8 x 11 cm (2 5/16 x 4 5/16 in.)
cul
Peru, North Highlands, Pacopampa(?), Chavín style (900-200 BCE)
accession
1957.494.a
Source extras
tec
stone, pigment
tombstone
Feline Mortar, 700–1 BCE. Peru, North Highlands, Pacopampa(?), Chavín style (900-200 BCE). Stone, pigment; overall: 5.8 x 11 cm (2 5/16 x 4 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, In memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Humphreys, gift of their daughter Helen, 1957.494.a
collection
AA - Andes
citations
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, March 1958.
page_number
93
creditline
In memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Humphreys, gift of their daughter Helen
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:53:56.257000
sourceId
134946
dept
Art of the Americas
coll
AA - Andes
med
stone, pigment
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
2b178b2efe082e20