500-year-old Snake Figure from Peru (Incan), c.1450-1532 CE: this figure was crafted from cotton and camelid hair, and it measures 86.4cm (about 34in) long
This piece was created by shaping a cotton core into the basic form of a snake and then wrapping it in structural cords; colorful threads were then used to create the surface pattern, producing a zig-zag design. Some of the features on the snake's face were also decorated with additional embroidery.
A double-braided rope is tied to the distal end of the snake's body, near the tip of its tail, while a second rope is attached to the ventral side, forming a small loop just behind the snake's lower jaw.
Similar features (including the distal rope/ventral loop) have been found in other serpentine figures from the same region, suggesting that these objects may have been designed for a common purpose.
Very little is known about the original context, purpose, and significance of these artifacts; they may have been crafted as decorative elements, costume elements, ceremonial props, toys, gifts, grave goods, or simply as pieces of artwork.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers its own unique theory, arguing that the figure might have been used as a prop in a local custom:
In a ritual combat known as ayllar, snakes made of wool were used as projectiles. This effigy snake may have been worn around the neck—a powerful personal adornment of the paramount Inca and his allies—until it was needed as a weapon. The wearer would then grab the cord, swing the snake, and hurl it in the direction of the opponent. The heavy head would propel the figure forward. The simultaneous release of many would produce a scenario of “flying snakes” thrown at enemies.
The same custom is described in the account of a Spanish chronicler named Cristóbal de Albornoz, who referred to the tradition as "the game of the ayllus and the Amaru" ("El juego de los ayllus y el Amaru").
A similar artifact from the southern coast of Peru is depicted in the image below:
Why Indigenous Artifacts Should be Returned to Indigenous Communities
Metropolitan Museum of Art: Snake Ornament
Serpent Symbology: Representations of Snakes in Art
Journal de la Société des Américanistes: El Juego de los ayllus y el Amaru
Yale University Art Gallery: Votive Fiber Sculpture of an Anaconda
