The metallurgical arts achieved a high level of sophistication under the Inca, who came to control the whole of Peru for almost a century prior to the Spanish conquest of the region. This tiny figurine of solid silver depicts a woman carrying an olla (water jar) on her back. The jar is attached to her by means of a rope, one end of which wraps around her waist; the other wraps around her neck, where she grasps it with her hands. Her lowered head and slightly forward shoulders create the impression of a weary figure carrying a heavy load. At the top and back of the woman's head are two small holes, which would have allowed the figurine to be strung as a pendant or attached as an ornament.