Examples of designs painted on late Nasca figurines. These motifs appear on the abdomen and/or across the back or buttocks of nude Nasca female figurines shown in the process of giving birth. They may represent supernatural beings invoked to protect mothers from attack by supernatural forces during or after childbirth. Other examples of these markings can be seen in Figure 20.6. (a) Figure on the abdomen of a "birthing" jar, from Kroeber and Collier (1998:171, Figure 254). (b) Figure on the abdomen of a "birthing" jar from figurine 33-15-1, Museum für Völkerkunde, based on drawing by Clados (2003). (c) Pair of creatures on the buttocks of a "birthing" jar, based on a drawing by Lavalle (1986:137).
Isbell, William H.; Uribe, Mauricio I.; Tiballi, Anne; Edward P. Zegarra, 2018, "Visual database", https://doi.org/10.25346/S6/1B33FN.