This wonderful item is an example of an ancient Peruvian folk art form, the engraved gourd, or mate burilado. Etched gourds predate ceramics in Peruvian archaeological sites, being found in excavations dating back 6,000 years.
The lighter orange-brown background color is the natural color of the gourd. The darker browns and blacks in the interior of the figures is burnt in the usual way. This gourd is 3" tall and 3 1/2" in diameter.