This carved figure of a sheep is a type of household amulet used in the Andean highlands of Peru and Bolivia. They appear as carved stone figures, found objects, or naturally shaped pebbles that represent animals, crops, or houses.

Illa are understood as animate beings that act as intermediaries between families and the divine, maintaining ties with Pachamama (the animate earth) and the Apu (mountain spirits). Passed from one generation to the next, they serve as protectors of home and land fertility and are not seen as owned objects but as beings who choose to stay with a household; if an illa is lost or stolen, it is taken as a sign that it chose to leave.