Drinking Tubes on Archaeological Vessels from Western South America

Abstract

In 1952 I had the opportunity of investigating about 70 slab cists in the province of Munecas, Bolivia. Among the vessels found in the graves there were a few goblets provided with a tubular protuberance on one side. As my collections and personal outfit are still detained by the Bolivian authorities, the appearance of these vessels is illustrated here only by a drawing of a vessel taken over by the Museo Nacional “Tihuanacu,” La Paz (Fig. 50). A similar but undecorated vessel from the same region, Tacacacoma, is published by Schmidt (1929: 256, and Fig. 2). On the latter vessel the tubular protuberance is joined to the body of the goblet by two bare. Other minor variations in vessels of this type appear in the shape of the goblets and in the shape and placing of the tubular protuberance. Sometimes, for instance, the tube is longer than on the vessels depicted here and very often a raised human face is found on the outer side opposite the tube.