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Source Description
Size suggests that this Chavín-style mortar and pestle were 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 set 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
134945
label
Feline Mortar and Pestle
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
134945
contentType
object
title
Feline Mortar and Pestle
description
Size suggests that this Chavín-style mortar and pestle were 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 set 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
Q60754946
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
Source extras
tec
stone, pigment
tombstone
Feline Mortar and Pestle, 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
collection
AA - Andes
citations
citation
The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, March 1958.
page_number
93
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 6
creditline
In memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Humphreys, gift of their daughter Helen
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:53:47.225000
sourceId
134945
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
3c88dab79ee67b4c