
Nasca, Ceremonial Drum, ca. 100. Earthenware. The Fred Olsen Collection. 1967-29-110
1. Visual Thinking Strategy:
What do you see in the artwork?
What do you see that makes you say so?
What else do you notice?
2. What do you think this object was used for? How can you tell?
3. What do you think the creatures on the drum are?
They are birds called vencejos, or white collared swifts. They are symbols of water because they arrive at the beginning of the rainy season, telling the farmers that it was time to plant.
4. Did you notice the cracks on the drum? Try and guess why they are there.