The Andean civilizations included the Chimu culture, which existed on the territory of modern Peru in the 13th-15th centuries. Chimu artisans achieved a high level of skill in the manufacture of ceramics, created dishes of various shapes, but unlike their predecessors, the Mochica potters, they almost did not decorate the products with drawings. Many items are made in the form of human figures, like this vessel in the form of a mother holding a child in her right hand.
A seated woman breastfeeds her baby and looks into the distance. On her back is a jug with a tapering bottom, in such containers they stored and carried chicha, a beer-like corn alcoholic drink. In Chimu culture, women called mamaconas made beer wherever new cities were built. The bottom of the artifact contains the inscription Lambayeque, dated to the late 1800s or early 1900s. Lambaeque is a region in northwestern Peru named after the god Yampellec.
The drink was poured through the neck in a jug. The liquid filled the entire "body" and poured out of the hole under the feet. It is likely that this vessel was used during ritual libations: the nutrient-rich chicha could symbolize mother's milk. And the Chimu festivities, in turn, were supposed to propitiate the gods so that future generations would live in prosperity. Today, the people of Peru continue to cook chicha, for them this drink is the heritage of their ancestors, nourishing not only the body, but also the soul.
The theme of motherhood and love for one's children is also found in the works presented in the section “Pottery. Porcelain. Glass".
