#andes

The figure was crafted by shaping a cotton core into the basic form of a snake, wrapping it in structural cords, and then using colorful thread to create patterns and details along the surface. A zig-zag design covers most of the snake's body, and its facial features are decorated with embroidery.

A double-braided rope extends from the distal end of the snake's body, near the tip of its tail, and another rope is attached along the ventral side, forming a small loop just behind the snake's lower jaw. Similar features have also been found on several other fiber-craft snakes from the same time period/region, suggesting that the figures may have been designed for a common purpose. Very little is known about the original function and significance of these artifacts, however.

The figures may have been created as toys, ceremonial props, costume elements, decorative pieces, gifts, grave goods, or simply as pieces of artwork.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art argues that they were likely used as props during an Andean tradition known as ayllar:

In a ritual combat known as ayllar, snakes made of wool were used as projectiles. This effigy snake may have been worn around the neck—a powerful personal adornment of the paramount Inca and his allies—until it was needed as a weapon. The wearer would then grab the cord, swing the snake, and hurl it in the direction of the opponent. The heavy head would propel the figure forward. The simultaneous release of many would produce a scenario of “flying snakes” thrown at enemies.

The same tradition is described in an account from a Spanish chronicler named Cristóbal de Albornoz, who referred to it as "El juego de los ayllus y el Amaru," meaning "the game of the ayllus and the Amaru."

The image below shows another fiber-art snake that was made in the Incan Empire during the 1300-1550s CE. This figure has several remarkably similar features, leading some experts to argue that it may have been used as part of the same tradition.

Why Indigenous Artifacts Should be Returned to Indigenous Communities.

Sources & More Info:

Metropolitan Museum of Art: Snake Ornament

Serpent Symbology: Representations of Snakes in Art

Journal de la Société des Américanistes: El Juego de los ayllus y el Amaru

Голубые льды Перито-Морено. Фотограф Дмитрий Ковинов.

Перито-Морено — огромное ледовое плато(возраст около 30 тысяч лет) шириной 5 км и площадью 250 км2, изрезанный язык, спускающийся с Патагонского ледника, расположенного в Андах на границе Аргентины с Чили, к озеру Аргентино. Ледник одновременно стои́т на месте и находится в постоянном движении: каждый день лед продвигается примерно на 2 м к озеру, но теряет столько же массы, сколько поступает с гор, поэтому положение края ледового языка более или менее стабильно последние 90 лет. Рядом с ледником можно постоянно слышать треск и грохот, время от времени от него с шумом откалываются и падают в воду куски (иногда весьма значительные).

Интенсивность синего цвета льда может варьироваться в зависимости от его возраста и плотности.Самые старые и плотные участки ледника демонстрируют наиболее насыщенный оттенок.Также цвет может меняться в зависимости от времени суток и освещения, создавая впечатляющие визуальные эффекты.Особенно эффектно лед выглядит в солнечные дни, когда его синие кристаллы словно светятся изнутри.

Blue Ice of Perito Moreno. Photographer Dmitry Kovinov.

Perito Moreno is a vast ice plateau (approximately 30,000 years old), 5 km wide and covering 250 km². It is a jagged tongue descending from the Patagonian Glacier, located in the Andes on the border of Argentina and Chile, toward Lake Argentino. The glacier is both stationary and constantly in motion: every day, the ice advances approximately 2 meters toward the lake, but loses as much mass as it moves from the mountains. Therefore, the position of the ice tongue's edge has remained more or less stable for the past 90 years. Cracking and rumbling sounds can be heard constantly near the glacier, and chunks (sometimes quite large) break off noisily and fall into the water.

The intensity of the ice's blue color can vary depending on its age and density. The oldest and densest sections of the glacier exhibit the most intense hue. The color can also change depending on the time of day and lighting, creating impressive visual effects. The ice is especially spectacular on sunny days, when its blue crystals seem to glow from within.