Tumaco Armadillo Effigy Vessel
2023 © Maxim Tabachnik
Quimbaya Mortuary TrayFemale Figure with Perforated HeaddressQuimbaya Vessel-Bearer FigurineTumaco Ceremonial HeadTumaco-La Tolita Stirrup-Spout VesselTumaco Armadillo Effigy VesselCeremonial Yotoco Vessel with Serpent MotifCeremonial Vessel with Human FigureQuimbaya Ceremonial Ceramic PieceCourtyard of Museo Arqueológico La MercedTolima Ceremonial MaskSeated Tumaco Figure

Tumaco Armadillo Effigy Vessel

264
This ceramic figure (5th c. BC–5th c. AD) from the Tumaco culture on Colombia’s Pacific coast represents an armadillo, revered for its armored shell and bond with the earth. Used in ritual or funerary contexts, such effigies embodied protection, endurance, and the soul’s passage through cycles of death and renewal.