Handcrafted Peruvian Folk Art, Vintage Bull House Altar, Ayacucho Decor 12"x7"x10"

Description

Handcrafted Peruvian Folk Art, Vintage Bull House Altar, Ayacucho Decor 12"x7"x10" 

Ceramic Bulls are placed on the roof for good luck, fertility (of crops and livestock) and to bring prosperity. They are typically given as presents for extra luck and pretty much every building you see in southern Peru has one of the decorations on its roof.  The bulls stand as if on a hilltop looking out on the rolling, downward-sloping pastures of orange tiles. 

The tradition comes from the time of the Incas. They relied on images of alpacas that they called illas. These alpacas had a hole in their loin where one could put alpaca fat and then bury them in the Earth in order to obtain protection for their agriculture as well as a good harvest. They also usedillas to protect their flocks of alpacas and llamas, as well as to guarantee their reproduction. Illasin the form of houses were also used to protect buildings so that they would be safe and last.