In the Andean region the Nazca once called home, barren desert sand dunes plunge into the deep, cold waters of the Pacific Ocean. These waters are cooled by a current which yields some of the richest fishing grounds in the world. The sustenance available from the sea made this area essential to Native people, and one can see this importance through the portrayal of coastal activities on Nazca ceramics. Fish and coastal birds such as this pelican, appear frequently in ancient Andean imagery. This Nazca jar portrays a pelican fishing and catching three killer whales, thus combining several important coastal images.