Crown: Figures Among Maize Plants

Among the Chimú, people of high rank adorned their bodies with metal ornaments that conveyed their power in both the world of the living and that of the dead. Gold and silver, frequently alloyed with copper, were their favourite materials, prized for their rarity, indestructibility, sonority and brilliance. Demonstrating the expertise of its artisan, this crown is made of a very thin sheet of hammered, repoussé silver. Supernatural beings stand amid maize plants, a cereal often consumed in the form of beer (chicha) during rituals, particularly by the elite.