Fertility and protection figurines found at pre-Inca fortress in Peru

Stone figurines shaped like animals with female sexual features have been found at Kuélap, the large fortress built by the pre-Inca Chachapoya civilization in northern Peru. The Ministry of Culture said the objects, known as illas, offer an important contribution to the study of fertility-related rituals.

The sculptures resemble conopas, or illas conopas, small stone objects documented mainly in camelid forms during the Inca period. Such objects were associated with rituals intended to encourage fertility and abundance, and to protect herds, crops and household well-being.

Some conopas served as protective entities within families. They had cavities where people could place offerings such as camelid fat, coca leaves or chicha, a fermented maize drink. Their use reflected a belief that elements of nature and ritual objects could carry forces or qualities capable of interacting with people and their surroundings.

Archaeological research indicates that conopas belonged not only to domestic rituals. They may also have played a role in political and religious practices under the Inca state, reinforcing relationships among families, huacas and state power. At Kuélap, the newly found illas open further research into ritual practices at a site occupied during the Late Horizon, when the Inca state expanded into the region.

The Ministry said the figures may provide evidence of links between the Inca empire and the Chachapoya, a people known as the Warriors of the Clouds for living in the misty Andean highlands and resisting the Inca arrival. Their characteristics suggest a possible connection with ideas of fertility and protection.

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constitute an important contribution to the study of ritual practices linked to fertility