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Raise a glass: Inca Queros and the Spanish Invasion

This is a story about images, objects, and their interaction within a sphere of radical historical transformation. -Tom Cummins, Toast with the Inca

Ceramic hand with Quero, 15th-16th century

Queros (sometimes called keros) act as more than just a drinking cup; they can literally seal a person's fate based on how they receive them. They also have changed over time. They began as carved cups made from wood, silver, or gold (when referring to the metal versions, called aquillas), under the Inca (ca. 1438-1532), and even resonance in pre-Inca times. The Spanish arrival in the Andes in the 1520s caused an upheaval in the quero concept, changing to painted images that hold this memory of exchange. Each quero comes as one part of an identical pair. They are used to signify social and political relationships, sometimes for marriage, and others as an act of conquest.

Pre-Columbian Quero
Pre-Columbian Quero

First, I should describe a bit of the Inca history of these vessels. Rooted in their mythology, these drinking vessels relate to the ruins of Tiahuanaco. The creator deity, Viracocha, used the ruins to create different ethnic groups and spread them across the lands. Scholars trace back much of the Inca's architecture and sculptures to this physical site. However, it represented the Inca origin story to the people. The quero's image also comes from Tiahuanaco. Made by a specific craftsman called querocamayocs, they are cylindrical vessels, sometimes with straight sides and others with an hour-glass shape. Pre-Columbian queros use geometrical incised patterning. During feasts held in Cuzco or an intimate gathering to make a deal, these cups came with a specific set of social practices, much like manners within our own society. By accepting the cup and drinking the corn beer, an individual or community would be accepting the exchange or deal. A bond would be formed between the two participants, and the specific queros represented that bond. This exchange act was essential to the Inca's political power; each community under their rule had to accept the drink or literally face war.

Inca King Atahualpa XIIII Portrait, Anonymous Artist from the Cusco School, 16th c.

The first interaction between the Inca and the Spanish was marked by this ritual act. The encounter happened on November 16, 1532, between the Inca king Atahualpa and the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. We can say in hindsight that the customs and social behavior of each society were not read correctly. Each side tells a different story of what happened. The Spanish were handed an aquilla (a gold quero) and asked to drink but instead poured it out. Then, Atahualpa was given a book, the Bible, but became offended after the drink's visible rejection and he tossed it to the side. The reception did not go well, and the war was initiated.

Portrait of Francisco Pizarro (1475–1541), painted by Amable Paul Coutan, 1835

After the execution of Atahualpa (July 26, 1533), a new king was instated, Manco Capac II. During the coronation, filled with drinking and rejoicing, Pizarro arrived at the scene now understanding Inca customs. However, he used them to his own benefit. He demanded the people accept the Spanish King as their sovereign and acknowledge the Church otherwise, they have the moral right to war. Whether or not this message was so direct to the people, the new Inca King accepted and drank. The quero custom also changed; the iconography became painted rather than incised. The use of pictorial images instead of abstract forms represented the Spanish tradition, while the subject matter and composition were Andean traditions. They represented an act of rebellion and resistance to the Spanish Crown.

Pair of Colonial Queros, 16th-17th century

Queros and aquillas have a deep history of violence and reciprocity, often at the center of decision making. They were mass-produced in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, and some are still used during communal rituals in Peru and Bolivia. I find it incredibly fascinating to think about how each one has a pair; the one you see in a museum has a partner in the world somewhere! It reminds me of a card matching game combined with a scavenger hunt! This vibrant history is outlined wonderfully in Tom Cummins' book Toasts with the Inca. He undertook this search beginning in 1982 and analyzed over 1500 colonial queros for his study. I would encourage you to read the rest of their history with him!

Source:

  • Tom Cummins, Toasts with the Inca. Andean Abstraction and Colonial Images on Quero Vessels. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2002.


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"Unlike the past, which is, well, past, history is always in the present." - Jon Christensen

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