This uncu probably belonged to a high-ranking officer. Archaeologists found out during the excavation of a cemetery (Puruchucu-Huaquerones near Lima), which contains more than 1500 mummies from the Inca period, that feathers were always associated with war. They were also a coveted luxury item. The rank of the wearer could be recognized by the quality of the feathers: lower-ranking members of society wore uncus made of feathers from local bird species, while high-ranking uncus were made of feathers from tropical birds that had to be transported from the Amazon region. The stepped decoration on the neck and the two pumas facing each other identify the uncu as being from the Incan period. This uncu is not an individual piece. They seem to have been produced in large numbers, in exactly the same colour combination, with slightly different motifs. Two very similar uncus are in the Metropolitan Museum in New York, two more in the Art Institute of Chicago and one in the Lippisches Landesmuseum in Detmold.