The stirrup spout vessel represents a mountain deity. The mountains of the Andes were revered in ancient Peru as a source of water, because during the rainy months from December to March it only rained in the Andes, but not on the desert coast. The effect of the rain in the Andes was a better water supply by the rivers on the coast, making irrigated farming possible. In the dry season, the Andean glaciers supplied people with water, but irrigated farming was not possible during this season. Thus, the coast was highly dependent upon the rainy season in the mountains. The predatory dentition points to the religious context and is a sign of divinity, of transcendence.