20.25

Unslipped vessels can sometime be recognized as female. a) A globular vessel from Chen Chen sports long braids falling over her shoulders, like other Tiwanaku effigies, such as in Figure 24 above. The eyes and mouth are appliqués shaped like "coffee beans". Drawn from photo (Owen and Goldstein 2002); b) a globular vessel in the La Ramada style clearly displays female sex characteristics - breasts and a vaginal slit. Incised lines under the eyes may represent "tear marks" like those often seen in depictions of Nasca females, see Figure 23 for examples; c) other vessels in the La Ramada style are more ambiguous and lack clear markings of female gender or sex. The projections at the side of the face could be abstract renderings of braids and the aperture in the chest a misplaced vaginal opening, but it is difficult to say without contextual information, which this piece sadly lacks.