This is one of the five tzantza (or shrunken heads) we saw on display in Cuenca, from the Shuar culture of the Amazon. The skull is removed and the flesh boiled in water enriched with herbs containing tannins, dried and moulded to retain its features. Traditionally, the heads came from enemies of the tribe. The head shrinking process harnessed the enemy’s spirit to thereafter serve the shrinker, who wore the head as a necklace. The eyelids and lips were sewn shut to prevent the spirit from escaping. An eerie sight!