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Pacopampa Feline

Room 1, Vitrine 2


Stone sculpture
Highlands of northern Peru
Formative Epoch (1250 BC – 1 AD)
ML301346

In the Andean world, the jaguar and puma are major carnivores. These fierce and powerful big cats, which take the lives of other animals to ensure their own survival, symbolize the cyclical transformation necessary for life to flourish in the earthly world.

  • This stone sculpture came from the Pacopampa temple, Cajamarca, in Peru’s northern highlands.
  • Felines were depicted very early in pre-Columbian art. Some three thousand years ago, stone sculptures like this one were visited by pilgrims in the plazas of many ancient Peruvian temples. .
  • The jaguar symbolizes the vital forces that make life on Earth possible: sunlight and water.
  • The jaguar represents the sun because it roams the humid lands of the Amazon basin, beyond the mountains to the east, where the sun rises each day.
  • The concentric circles seen on this sculpture adorning the jaguar’s body allude to the spots on its coat while also symbolizing water, which arrives from the celestial world in the form of rain and enables life to flourish on Earth.
  • Gods and ancestors were depicted with fangs, symbols of feline power.

Pacopampa Stele

Room 2, Vitrine 11


Stone sculpture
Highlands of northern Peru
Formative Epoch (1250 BC – 1 AD)
ML300025

This female deity takes on the features of a bird (the celestial world), feline (earthly world) and serpent (underworld), transforming herself into an all-powerful being encompassing the forces of three worlds.

  • This stone stele is approximately three thousand years old and comes from the Pacopampa temple, Cajamarca, in Peru’s northern highlands.
  • In the temples of the Formative Epoch, carved monoliths gave form to the sacred beings that personified the power of sacred sites.
  • The deity depicted on this stone stele is female; a vagina dentata can be distinguished between her legs, a feature shared by many goddesses from ancient religions throughout the world. This feature expresses the power of the “terrible mother” archetype; the life-giving being also seen as an all-powerful and castrating force.
  • Two appendages in the form of birds’ feathers emerge from her waist.
  • Feline features, including fangs, are distinguishable in the anthropomorphic face of this individual, and in the feline face depicted in the middle of its body.
  • From the feline face located in the middle of the body, two appendages emerge, one on each side, taking the form of a pair of serpents.
  • From the mouth a long, broad tongue emerges, recalling perhaps the forked tongue of a serpent, as well as the discharge produced by a spider as it spins its web.
  • A spiral design, resembling a snail shell, is visible on the chest.
  • The depiction of mythological beings with the ability to establish contact between different worlds indicates the important role of religious art in ancient Peru, during a period when ruling high priests and priestesses were consolidating their power.
  • Recently, at the Pacopampa temple, the tomb of a high priestess was excavated. She was discovered adorned with jewelry fashioned from semiprecious stones and gold, the designs of which closely resemble those exhibited by the deity in this stele, including her round ear adornments, the Strombus shell worn on the chest, and the feather-like appendages that emerge from her waist.

The Journeys of Ai Apaec

Room 2, Vitrine 18


Pottery rattle vessel
Mochica, northern coast of Peru
Florescent Epoch (1 AD – 800 AD)
ML018882


Ai Apaec is a mythological Mochica being with enormous fangs, a serpent belt and ear adornments, and he travels through different worlds in order to ensure the continuation of nature’s cycles.

  • The base of this large rattle vessel contains clay beads which produce a rattling sound when the vessel is shaken.
  • The interior of the vessel is decorated with of different episodes in the mythological journey of Ai Apaec into the underworld.
  • Ai Apaec (the name was given to him by Rafael Larco Hoyle, and in the Muchik language is means “The Creator”) wears a feather headdress. He has enormous fangs and wears a serpent belt and ear adornments. His tunic is decorated with a step design.
  • Ai Apaec is a mythological hero, whose task is to restore order. To achieve this, he travels through the different worlds in a quest for continuous regeneration, in the form of the returning seasons.
  • During his quest, he ventures into the ocean and confronts the different mythological beings that inhabit the underworld: a being that adopts the form of a puffer fish; an anthropomorphic sea urchin; and a “marine demon” with the face of a seal, a crest on its head and fins like those of the shark or stingray.
  • In another scene, we see Ai Apaec, apparently dead, pinned down by two birds: a booby and a vulture.
  • The other protagonists who appear in this great scene are three musicians, two of whom play panpipes, while the third plays a drum, or tinya. In the Andean region, panpipes are usually played in pairs to evoke the links between different worlds, seasons and forces, while the drum is played in the context of agricultural propitiatory rites and fiestas.
  • The headdress and tunic worn by Ai Apaec change according to the context in which he finds himself. When Ai Apaec fights the puffer fish or sea urchin, he wears his typical feline headdress and plume of feathers and the step motif on his tunic is a cream color over a red background.
  • However, when Ai Apaec fights with the “marine demon”, and when he is pinned down by the birds, he wears a headdress evoking his previous opponents, a helmet with appendages in the form of owl’s ears, but with the face of a feline on the front part of the crown, and the colors of his tunic are reversed; the step motif is red, on a cream colored background.
  • The exterior of the vessel is decorated with a combined step motif and scroll design, symbolizing the dynamic interaction that occurs between different worlds.
  • Taken together, the imagery found on this vessel alludes to the opposing forces required for the natural world to continue to function.

Mochica Portrait Vessels

Room 3, Vitrine 20


Pottery
Northern coast of Peru
Florescent Epoch (1 AD – 800 AD)
ML003022, ML013572, ML013574

 

Sculptural pottery vessels decorated with remarkably realistic portraits: The cadaverous face symbolizes the underworld, where the dead dwell; the man wearing a headdress represents the earthly world inhabited by humans; and the figure with feline fangs evokes the celestial world of the gods.

  • The sculptural vessel depicting an individual wearing a bird’s head headdress, the detailed facial features of which were achieved through considerable artistry, was a gift from Rafael Larco Herrera to his son Rafael Larco Hoyle. It was with this piece that the collection of 45,000 objects currently owned by the museum was begun.
  • In these types of portrait vessel, the faces of members of the ruling elite are depicted, including priests, warriors and the most outstanding artists of Mochica culture. Some of these individuals were even portrayed at different periods in their lives.
  • Ai Apaec, the mythological Mochica hero who journeyed through different worlds, confronting different creatures, is depicted with feline fangs and serpent-like ear adornments on two of these vessels. On one of them, he is wearing an owl ear headdress; on another, he is shown in the world of the dead, with a cadaverous face and no headdress, after losing in combat.
  • Portrait vessels are found in tombs as important funerary offerings.

Nasca Drum

Room 4, Vitrine 35


Pottery
Southern coast of Peru
Florescent Epoch (1 AD – 800 AD)
ML013683


A shaman can be seen on this drum. Shamans were able to contact other worlds after consuming hallucinogenic plants.

  • A feline can be seen on the chest of this individual. Serpents emerge from his mouth and nose, and he is surrounded by serpents with feline heads. Around his neck, he is wearing a necklace made from plaques in the form of bird feathers.
  • The individual seen on this drum has the strength of the feline, can fly like a bird, and possesses the serpent’s ability to enter subterranean depths. In this way, the drum expresses the power ancient shamans had to connect with other worlds.
  • The two seven-pointed stars on the shaman’s cheeks represent the San Pedro cactus, a plant consumed by shamans wishing to enter into a trance-like state.
  • The shape of this drum appears to recall that of a funerary bundle, and its music would have accompanied the deceased into the underworld.

Paracas Mantle

Room 5, Vitrine 52


Textile
Southern coast of Peru
Formative Epoch (1250 BC – 1 AD)
ML600068


On Peru’s southern coast, the dead were wrapped in this type of textile mantle and buried in the underworld.

  • Funerary mantles were used by the people of Peru’s southern coast to wrap their dead in multiple layers, together with offerings, creating funerary bundles which were then laid to rest in large semi-subterranean pits in the desert of the Paracas peninsula.
  • The dead were symbolically transformed into seeds loaded with sacred messages woven into the mantles.
  • This mantle is decorated with a feline creature (earthly world) which has two feet like those of a bird (celestial world), and the elongated body of a serpent (underworld). This mythological being combines the characteristics of the three worlds, evoking the Andean belief system.
  • The design is repeated throughout the mantle, in different sizes and orientations.
  • The designs were embroidered using camelid fiber dyed red, yellow and green.
  • The textiles found in this part of Peru were preserved for centuries thanks to the dry conditions prevalent on the southern desert coast. This funerary mantle is approximately 3000 years old.

Mochica Sacrifice Ceremony

Room 7, Vitrine 68


Pottery vessel
Northern coast of Peru
Florescent Epoch (1 AD – 800 AD)
ML010847


In nature, death is needed in order to give life. The human sacrifice depicted on this vessel is probably associated with the spring equinox. This is an important moment in the Andean agricultural calendar, announcing the coming of the rainy season.

  • Propitiatory rites are depicted on this pottery vessel: the sacrifice of captured warriors and the presenting of a goblet to the gods.
    A two-headed serpent is shown apparently holding a sacrificial heart in its hands. Its body divides the vessel into two hemispheres: an upper and lower section.
  • A sacrifice is depicted in the lower section; the executioner’s hands approach the neck of a naked man, who is seated with his hands tied; the blood of the sacrificial victim is collected in a vessel and offered to the gods of the celestial world.
  • In the upper section, we see the gods: the Radiant God, a figure with feline fangs and a conical helmet ending in a tumi (symbol of the sun) and serpent-like rays, receives the vessel from an osprey, a bird of prey able to fly and also to submerge itself in the ocean when fishing, and therefore associated with both the celestial world and the underworld. Also depicted is the Moon Goddess, seen in a longer tunic and wearing braids that end in serpent heads. The goddess advances, carrying the vessel from the nighttime world into the world ruled by the Radiant God. Finally, we see the Owl God, shown with a half moon and owl ear headdress, who rules over the dark and damp underworld. This figure is also known as the God of the Milky Way, for its association with the night sky, stars and rainfall.
  • The Owl God is the complementary opposite of the Radiant God. They represent the two forces which dominate during different periods of the year and yet at the same time complement one another: the dry season and the rainy season. This opposition is expressed in the opposing positions adopted by the two figures on the vessel.
  • This vessel appears to depict a ceremonial meeting between the two gods, possibly marking an important moment within the agricultural calendar, such as the spring equinox, which heralds the beginning of the rainy season.

Gold and Silver Chimú Vessel

Room 8, Vitrine 95


Gold, silver and copper
Raising, surface enrichment and engraving
Northern coast of Peru
Imperial Epoch (1300 AD – 1532 AD)
ML100865


This vessel symbolizes the duality and coming together of opposing yet complementary forces. Gold represents the sun, daytime, the dry season and maleness. Silver represents the moon, nighttime, the rainy season and femaleness.

  • This vessel is made from a single piece of gold-silver-copper alloy. The gold and silver appearance was achieved through surface enrichment, a technique which makes it possible to create the appearance of gold and silver in objects which are mostly copper.
  • The gold and silver surfaces meet at the middle of the body of a deity depicted on the base of the vessel. This figure wears a crown decorated with step motifs that symbolize the connection between the underworld and the celestial world. The same figure is repeated several times around the main body of the vessel.
  • The design on the vessel is achieved using the technique of engraving.

Huari Funerary Bundle

Room 10, Vitrine 130


Human remains and textiles
Highlands of southern Peru
Fusion Epoch (800 AD – 1300 AD)
ML800001


This funerary bundle clothed in finery and a funerary mask contains the body of a child, wrapped in cloth. As occurred in ancient Egypt, the dead were carefully prepared for their journey into the underworld.

  • For the people of the Andes, death was not the end of life. It marked the transition into a new existence in the underworld.
  • This transition was ensured through funerary rites and the careful preparation of the funerary bundle and tomb, so that society’s leaders could be transformed into ancestors.
  • In those societies which achieved a state or imperial power structure, such as the Chimú and Inca, leaders were seen as direct descendants or “children” of the gods, and when they died their return to the celestial world had to be ensured.
  • In this funerary bundle, the body has been wrapped in plain cotton cloth to form a bundle which is adorned with emblems of power, indicating the social position of the deceased individual and his divine lineage.
  • The fine tunic, or unku, worn by the bundle was woven with the step and spiral motifs seen so often in pre-Columbian art, symbolizing the meeting of different worlds.
  • The bundle’s head is covered with a metal funerary mask; a feather headdress symbolizes the connection with the celestial world; the braids of human hair interwoven with different colored wools create the step and spiral motif, symbolic of life’s continuity.
  • Finally, the ancestor has been wrapped in an array of symbols which indicate his political status, ethnic identity and lineage.

Gold Mochica Head Adornment

Room 11, Vitrine 150


Metal
Northern coast of Peru
Florescent Epoch (1 AD – 800 AD)
ML100769, ML100768, ML100770


Leaders were crowned with decoration symbolizing their ability to act as intermediaries between different worlds, as in the case of this adornment, which depicts a powerful mythological being with feline, fox, bird, and serpent features.

  • This forehead adornment is decorated with a human face crowned with a tumi (symbol of the sun), flanked by two hybrid creatures with feline fangs, fox’s ears, bird of prey claws and the body of a serpent.
  • This type of forehead adornment was used to crown individuals who exercised supreme political and religious power; individuals who were able to act as intermediaries between the earthly world and the world of the gods, as well as the world of the dead.
  • Archaeological work has shown that these adornments are commonly found among the grave goods of important leaders on Peru’s northern coast.

Chimú Funerary Attire

Room 12, Vitrine 156


Metal
Northern coast of Peru
Imperial Epoch (1300 AD – 1532 AD)
ML100855


This gold attire once belonged to a major leader of the mud brick city known as Chan Chan, the capital of the Chimú empire. The feathers on the crown, breastplate and epaulettes express the relationship between birds and the sun, in the celestial world.

  • On the crown, as well as the edges of the breastplate and epaulettes, we find feather-like decoration, evoking birds and the symbolic relationship of the wearer with the sun (the celestial world).
  • The ear adornments are decorated with the face of the great Chimú lord, who is depicted on the epaulettes standing and holding severed heads in each hand. On the feathers decorating the crown and breastplate, we see a row of figures with feline faces and half moon headdresses, indicating their role as intermediaries between the earthly world and the world of the gods.
  • The entire costume shows signs of wear, indicating that it was used more than once in ceremonies before being placed in the tomb.
    The destruction of these emblems of prestige and religious belief at the hands of Spanish conquistadores represented a loss of power and identity for the people of the Andes.
  • This is the only known complete gold Chimú costume in the world’s collections and museums; many similar items would have been melted down during the Spanish conquest.

Mochica Ancestor

Erotic Room, vitrine E45


Pottery
Northern coast of Peru
Florescent Epoch (1 AD – 800 AD)
ML004199


The dead are depicted with cadaverous bodies, but at the same time with erections, indicating their ability to fertilize the world they inhabit; the underworld which is the realm of Pachamama, or Mother Earth.

  • After death, leaders’ mortal remains were subjected to meticulous funerary rites intended to ensure their safe passage to the underworld and transformation into ancestors; it was believed that in this way the wellbeing of their living relatives would be guaranteed.
  • This sculptural vessel depicts an ancestor as a cadaverous individual, a dweller of the underworld who is still sexually active.
  • The male sexual organ is disproportionately large, demonstrating the ability of this figure to produce semen, the fertilizing fluid that must be offered to the soil.
  • The ancestor’s main purpose is to make fertile the world he inhabits, the underworld.
  • In Mochica art, the dead are depicted as sexually active beings, involved in non-procreative sexual activities, such as masturbation.