| May be made of gold, silver, gilded silver, copper, gilded copper, silver-covered copper, or made of two metals. They vary greatly in shape and design. The best known examples come from the following cultures: Moche, Sican, Chimu, Huari, Inca, Nazca, and Chincha. The northern coast examples often have insets of shell, precious or semi-precious stones, and may have plant resins to depict the eyes and teeth. Almost all examples that have not been cleaned have surface coloring of red cinnabar. Miniature masks are also used as decorations on other objects. Copper examples generally show heavy oxidation. |
