Cuchimilco
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The cuchimilco figures are unglazed terracotta figurines, created between 1200 and 1450 AD by the Chancay culture, which developed in the latter part of the Inca Empire. Ceramic guardian figures were important in Chancay culture. They normally come in pairs of male and female figures, with stocky, almost triangular shaped bodies and upraised arms. The figures are similar but have different painted decoration to indicate gender differences in dress. The exact function of these figures is unknown, but it is thought that they may have acted as guardians to the tombs of the Chancay people, or as companions in the afterlife.
The cuchimilco sculptures model after humans with stocky bodies, a flat head, long raised arms and short legs. These figures are made with two-part molds of unglazed white-slipped terracotta with black lines of ornamentation. The details are stamped on using black paint or ink.[1] Most figures lack proper clothing besides bracelets, headdresses or hats, and masks around their eyes.[2] The faces on these figures are very small with the features close together. Also, there is a surprised expression on most of the figures, which is shown by wide eyes and oftentimes a gaped open mouth. When clothing is present, such as a poncho, the black lines create geometric patterns that often display various types of animals important to the culture. It is common for these figures to have a wide flattened, triangular-shaped hat or head with a mask around the eyes, which are traditional of the Chancay culture. The heads or hats, as well as the patterns of the clothing on two genders of the figures, are different, which could show the different roles or importance of each gender.[3]
The cuchimilco figure are often created or found in pairs, male and female, which indicates the importance of divine duality. Also, the figures are frontal facing and symmetrical with both arms extended out or up, which indicate a welcoming posture. Archeologists commonly find cuchimilco in burial sites of graves of the deceased, specifically those of nobility, which has led to the belief that the importance of meaning behind these figures is that they ward off bad spirits or energies.[4] The cuchimilcos have acquired the nickname of guardian figures because the welcoming posture with outstretched arms keep bad energies away from the body or spirit that is buried with. It is also believed by archeologists that the figures represent family members of the departed to help aid in absorbing the evil energy around them.[4]
The cuchimilco figures are often compared or confused[by whom?] with the funerary dolls of the Chancay culture. While both are connected to the burial sites or tombs, they provide two different purposes for the Chancay. The burial doll created from woven fabric may have the purpose of a child's play toy that was then buried with the departed, which in turn may act as a companion in the afterlife.[5]
However, the two items do not have exact functions, meaning the particular purpose behind these objects are unknown; historians and archeologists are just creating ideas to assume their meanings. The hypotheses that have been formed about the purposes of the cuchimilco and the funerary doll comes from where is items are located at when found. Also, each gender of the two figures have geometric patterns that differ from the other. The two items are often found with dramatic facial features, such as wide eyed in a surprised fashion, which could have a meaning in the funerary realm.