Three Ceramic vessels from the Lake Titicaca Basin. Yampara culture. a.d. 900 - 1400. All three are in remarkable condition and are very good examples of a rare group of Altiplano ceramics from Bolivia. Collected many years ago and representative of three different Yampara vessel forms. The tall, flared drinking vessel is called a kero which is a type of ceremonial cup for drinking a fermented corn, beer-like beverage known as chicha. This drink was highly revered in the region and essential for all ceremonial occasions. Chicha was thought to facilitate communication with the ancestors and deities and was used to fete them in ritual drinking bouts. The kero form originated with the Tiwanaku Culture (a.d. 300 - 1100) who were ancestors to the Incas and the most important and long-lived early Andean culture.