Calabash, water container of vegetable origin (Peru)

Pumpkins, used to collect and keep water clean and fresh, are still part of many human groups’ household effects.

Among the indigenous peoples of Peru and other South American countries, preparing them is a task reserved for women, who half-bury them until the pulp rots and is extracted through a hole which is later used as a spout. The piece is then repeatedly heated to harden it.

Photo, Joaquín Otero Úbeda