18. Double-spout bottle with shark (front and back). Nasca; South Coast, Peru, 1–400 ce. Ceramic and slip, H. 6 ⼀最 in. (17.1 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Cummings, 1964 (64.228.70) an immense technical challenge—this innovation would bodied head in its hand, its reddened mouth revealing have required intensive experimentation over the course teeth with red dots, suggesting drops of blood. What of many generations. is the meaning of the two depictions? Are we meant to The Nasca region is well known for the spectacu- see these as two moments in time, a before and a bloody lar geoglyphs etched into the desert landscape, and in after? Themes of con昀氀ict and predation, if that is what recent years archaeological excavations have revealed the these are, abound on other examples, such as a small remains of habitations and large ritual centers as well. bowl with an enigmatic scene of large raptorial birds Specialized workshops near these ritual centers produced decapitating human beings (昀椀g. 19). The white back- 昀椀nely slip-painted ceramics, which were also made in ground is 昀椀lled with spears, heads, and circular objects domestic settings, telling us that such 昀椀neware was not that could be sling stones: projectiles hurled to soften an limited to those of elite status. Large ritual centers such enemy force in battle. as Cahuachi may have been places of pilgrimage and thus The Nasca style dominated ceramic production on were occupied only periodically. Following festivities the South Coast until 650 ce, when the Wari Empire—an there, vessels would have been distributed, and partici- expansive state, centered in the Andean mountains, that pants would thus have returned home bearing objects of once controlled a large portion of what is now Peru—began prestige and religious knowledge. to in昀氀uence the coastal region. The Wari heartland, in Early Nasca vessels often feature a single image such Ayacucho, is geographically close to the Nasca pampas, as a bird, plant, or 昀椀sh—either on its own or repeated and Wari potters quickly adopted the palette and ceramic several times across the sides of a pot—outlined in black technology developed by Nasca artists. Coastal artists against a creamy-white background. Spout-and-bridge themselves articulated a hybrid style, combining imperial bottles sometimes have a pair of these animals, one on Wari iconography with local pottery traditions. One such each side of the vessel. On one example, a lively, anthro- bottle features a modeled feline head, characteristic of the pomorphized shark swims along, empty-handed (昀椀g. 18). Andean highlands, with the colorful slip style developed on 20 On the other side of the vessel, the shark grasps a disem- the coast by earlier Nasca potters (昀椀g. 20). Painted on the