Almost always manufactured in identical pairs, the keros, or ceremonial cups, were used during great feasts sponsored by the Wari elites to create and maintain relations within their empire. An integral part of celebrations and rituals was libation performed with a traditional fermented corn drink (chicha). The first references on the use of keros come from Tiwanaku and Pucara in the Altiplano (high Andean plateau) zone, and they continue to appear until the Colonial times. The extraordinary alabaster kero from the royal tomb at Castillo de Huarmey was found at the feet of the queen, and was part of her funerary equipment. The design carved on the body of the cup shows four almost identical anthropomorphic faces with elaborate headdresses. The incised grooves still feature a residue of black resin that served as an adherent for incrustations that have perished since.
Roberto Pimentel Nita