These shin guards probably belonged to the armour of an Inca soldier. The applied motif is the Andean cross or chakana. Some researchers attribute these shin guards to earlier cultures such as Huari. As none of them have been derived from confirmed archaeological findings to date, the cultural classification is not clear. The armour of a soldier in Ancient Peru had to be light, as he had to cover long distances on foot. There were neither mounts nor draught animals that could pull transport wagons.