Since the dawn of time, cultures throughout the world have viewed balance of the cosmos in terms of male and female. The abundance of crops and game, the perpetuation of species, the survival of human life itself, are often perceived in the most basic sexual manner. In rituals to ensure fertility, the male penis is sometimes itself object of worship, while at other times it is an adjunct to the more feminine forces of nature. The early conquistadors reported that certain peoples of Peru engaged in highly sexual religious rites, and it is likely that a phallus like this would have been used in such ceremonies. It is an undeniably sexual object, yet it speaks of essential human qualities that are timeless and universal.