Huaco
/ˈwɑːkoʊ/noun
A pre-Columbian pottery vessel from the ancient Andean region, especially Peru.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Quechua wak’a, a term for a sacred place, object, or power, including temples, tombs, and revered natural sites.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian era
Quechua
wak’a
“A sacred or spiritually powerful place, object, or being”
16th Century
Colonial Spanish
huaca
“A sacred Indigenous shrine, tomb, temple, or object in the Andes”
16th–17th Century
Spanish
huaco
“A pottery vessel associated with Indigenous Andean burial places and sacred sites”
19th Century
English
huaco
“A pre-Columbian Peruvian pottery vessel, especially one recovered archaeologically”
Modern English
English
huaco
“An ancient Andean ceramic vessel, often decorated or modeled in human or animal form”