Shamans, Supernaturals & Animal Spirits: Mythic Figures From the Ancient Andes

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Votive Figures (oppoosite left and right)
Andean Foxes
North or Central Coast culture
AD 1100-1476
Camelid wool; cross-knit looping
2½" high (each)
The mottled patterning of these miniature foxes reflects the mixture of silvery blacks
and tawny reds seen on the Andean fox. But it is the animal’s black-tipped tail that
specifically identifies it as the zorro sechura, a species of fox adapted to the northern
coastal desert of Peru.
Andean folklore offers an interesting reason for this detail, claiming that the animal
acquired its distinctive brush during a great primordial flood. According to legend, a
mythic fox taking sanctuary on a mountain peak let its tail dangle in the rising waters,
so that it turned black and putrid. This symbolic association of fox and water is reflected
in several other Andean myths, including one explaining the origin of irrigation canals.
Indeed, the animal played a variety of roles in coastal and highland traditions. For
example, the fox was revered as an effigy and oracle by the cultures surrounding the
ancient temple of Pachacamac.
During the Inka period, the fox was also regarded as a guardian of the fields, as well as
an omen of rain and successful harvests. The canid also had a celestial presence as one of
the "dark cloud" animal constellations perceived in the Milky Way. Surely some aspect
of this rich cultural symbolism was evoked by these small fiber sculptures, which may
have been made as votive offerings or as embellishments for ceremonial slings.
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