Museo Arqueologico Rafael Larco Herrera

The heritage of great pre-Columbian civilizations is an integral part of current Latin American identities. In the history of Peru, the Mochica culture (north coast of Peru, 1st-7th century AD) is especially significant. Archaeology has documented numerous Mochica customs, including the sacrifice ceremony.

Thanks to Mochica iconography and material evidence unearthed by archaeologists, we now know that the core of Mochica liturgy resided in a complex ceremony culminating in the sacrifice of warriors conquered on the battlefield. This sacrifice ceremony reached its peak with the ritual killing of prisoners and the offering of their blood to a divinity in a ceremonial cup.

The ceremony began with a ritual battle involving richly dressed warriors heavily armed with arrow launchers, wooden or metal clubs, spears, shields and slings. Their elaborate dress suggests that they were part of the Mochica elite.

The ritual bout pitted one warrior against another, and ended when one of the contestants was subdued and captured. The warriors clubbed each other until one of them lost his headdress, thus revealing his hair. In fact, the objective was to capture warriors rather than having them die in combat.

The defeated warriors were quickly made prisoners. Once their clothing had been confiscated, their hands were tied behind their backs and ropes were looped around their necks. The captives were then brought to the high-ranking warriors for the sacrifice ceremony.

One of the objects on which Mochica artists illustrated the various steps of the ceremony with such lavish detail is known as the Larco Piece. The lower part of it depicts the sacrifice of prisoners. On the right, two of them are shown naked, their hands bound behind their backs. Two figures can be seen cutting off their heads. Next to the prisoner on the left is a series of small dots symbolizing the blood flowing from their wounds. The blood was collected in crudely made vessels, then poured into long-stemmed cups, such as the one being held by the main figure in the upper part of the scene. For the Mochica, the blood of prisoners, young warriors of the same ethnic origin as the victors, were obvious symbols of life and fertility. In the upper part of the Larco Piece, four figures are clad in magnificent costumes (divinities of the Mochica pantheon and priests responsible for the cults). The one on the far left, receiving the cup filled with the prisoners’ blood, evidently occupies the highest rank of the hierarchy. The two figures in the middle, one of whom is adorned with the head, wings, tail and claws of a bird, the other representing a woman with braided hair, elaborate headdress and shoulder plate, are responsible for offering the blood-filled cup to the main personage. The figure trailing the scene is also a high-ranking personality. It appears that the blood offering was the high point of the ceremony. This is probably when the prisoners were put to death.

Ulla Holmquist, Curator, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera, Lima, Peru
Luis Jaime Castillo, Curator, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru

Juan Pablo Murrugarra, Photographer

All artifacts are part of the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera’s collection.