Pre-Columbian Imperial Style Shaman’s Coca Leaf Bag, Inca, Peru 1400-1530 AD

View Similar Items

Pre-Columbian Chancay Coca Leaf Bag with Shamans and Zoomorphic Figures, Peru

Striped Inca Pre-Columbian Textile, Peru, circa 1400-1532 AD, Ex Ferdinand Anton

Pre-Columbian Chuquibamba Banner, Peru 1000-1400 AD Ex Guillot-Muñoz

Pre-Columbian Inca Mantle with 16 Figures, Peru, 1476-1534 AD

Pre-Columbian Multi-Color Chancay Textile, Cubist Animals, Peru 1100-1400 AD

Pre-Columbian Inca Complete Uncu Textile, Peru 1300-1500 AD, Ex Guillot-Muñoz

Pre-Columbian Warrior Banner, Chimu, Peru, circa 1100-1476 AD

Pre-Columbian Nazca Stepped Textile Poncho, Nazca Peru, 200-400 AD

Pre-Columbian Nazca Unku with Stepped “V” Design, Peru, 200-300 AD

Extremely Rare Pre-Columbian Chimu Gauze Poncho Textile, Peru, 1000-1450 AD

Pre-Columbian Nazca Cross-Patterned Textile, Peru, 300-600 AD, Ex-Sotheby's

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 5

Pre-Columbian Imperial Style Shaman’s Coca Leaf Bag, Inca, Peru 1400-1530 AD

About the Item

Impressive Pre-Columbian Imperial style Shaman’s Coca leaf bag from the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Inca, Peru 1400-1530 AD Dimensions: 8 x 8 in – bag only 8 x 24 in – bag with shoulder strap The word ‘coca’ derives from an Aymara word that means simply ‘tree’. Prior to the Conquest, Indians used various names for the several varieties of cultivated Erythroxylum. The Spanish took the name ‘coca’ from the southern reaches of the Incan empire and bought it into use throughout their domain. The Incas regarded it as a gift from the gods intended to improve human life; its leaves are sacred and the spirit of the plant is personified as Mama Coca, a divine and beneficial aspect of Nature. By the tenth century, when Inca civilization was at its height, coca was well established in the Andes. The Incas believed that the Gods presented coca to the people to satisfy their hunger, to provide them with new vigour, and to help them forget their miseries. They venerated coca and it was intimately involved in their religious ceremonies and in the various initiation rites - shamans used it to induce a trance-like state in order to commune with the spirits. It was a far too important commodity to be used by the common Indians, and their exposure to coca was very limited before the invasion by Pizarro and his ‘conquistadores’. Coca chewing suffused South American life and the stimulant properties of its leaves have been known from at least the Nazca period (around AD 500). ‘We know this because of the discovery of the mummified remains of a Peruvian potentate of this era accompanied by several bags of coca leaves. In addition, pottery of this period frequently depicts coca chewers with their characteristic distended cheeks.’ (Mann J.) References: Coe M., Snow D. & Benson E. Atlas of Ancient America. Facts on File. 1986. Foster N., and Cordell L. Chilies to Chocolate. Univ. of Arizona Press. 1992. Mann J. Murder, Magic and Medicine. OUP. ? Trease & Evans. Pharmacognosy. Baillière Tindael.

Dimensions:
Height: 8 in (20.32 cm)Width: 8 in (20.32 cm)Depth: 0.5 in (1.27 cm)
Style:
Pre-Columbian (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Textile
Place of Origin:
Peru
Period:
15th Century and Earlier
Date of Manufacture:
1400-1532 AD
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
San Pedro Garza Garcia, MX
Reference Number:
Seller: PE-5741stDibs: LU3172310101813