The eroticism present in this major pottery collection evokes desire,
attraction and the coming together of the opposing yet complementary forces
that enable life to endlessly regenerate.
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Entrance to the Erotic Gallery.
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Sexual representations and the realms of the Andean worldview
Sexual representations in Pre-Columbian art are associated with
fertility and sacrificial rites, and with the ancestor cult, and they
are an important source of information as we seek to better understand
the worldview of ancient Peruvian societies.
In the Andean worldview, the beings that inhabited different worlds
interacted with each other and engaged together in sexual activity.
The deities or mythological beings of the celestial world
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The god Ai Apaec copulates, creating life. As a divine being, he
inseminates Mother Earth, Pachamama, depicted as a woman, and from
this union the earth’s first fruits are produced.
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In the same way, mythological animals including toads and jaguars are
joined, just as the earth and water are, making possible all plant
life.
The humans of this world
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In the earthly world of humans, the couple, complementary opposites,
or “yanantin”, come together to procreate. Their joining, the union of
man and woman, makes possible the renewal of life. The couple are
depicted in their bed, together with the fruit of their union.
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Humans also engage in sexual acts unrelated to procreation, such as
fellatio and anal penetration, activities which unite symbolically the
world of the living with the world of the dead.
The dead in the underworld
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The dead are depicted as sexually active beings, interacting among
themselves, and also with the living. The sexual activities in which
the dead engage, such as masturbation, are not procreative.
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The goal of these acts is not insemination, but rather the emission of
semen, the fecundating fluid that must be offered to the earth, where
the dead dwell.
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Room 1 - Introduction: Checan – Munay love
At the heart of the Andean worldview is the concept of tinkuy: the
generative meeting of opposite and complementary forces. Just as the day gives
way to night before dawn comes once more, and the dry season gives way to the
rains so that crops can flourish, men and women come together to engender new
life.
One of the clearest expressions of tinkuy in the art of ancient Peru is
the scene depicting the mythological union of the civilizing Moche hero with
Mother Earth (Pachamama). From this sexual encounter the tree of life is born
as a symbol of continual renewal, the continuity of existence, and the good
life (kawkay) of the community.
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Tree of life
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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The tree of life is a universal symbol. It can be seen in the art of
diverse cultures, separated in time and space, as a graphic
representation of continual renewal, the rebirth of the cycle of life,
and the meeting of worlds.
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In the Andean world, different societies had their own ways of
depicting trees. The clay bottles in this installation feature
different trees of life, alongside the textile tree from Chancay
culture.
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Sculptural cushion representing tree with backstrap loom, where fabric
with representation of lifes is shown.
ML600060 - Museo Larco.
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Salinar couple
Salinar culture, Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE).
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Pottery bottles depicting a pair of individuals, a man and a woman. In
one, we see a sexual act leading to insemination, and in the other the
act of masturbation, where the man embraces the woman as she touches
his penis. The gestures and expressions of the protagonists seem to
communicate a sense of daring and complicity.
- From left to right:
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Bottle neck with stirrup handle that represents vaginal intercourse or
the act of reproductive sexual union between a man and a woman.
ML004441 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle that represents a woman
masturbating a man. The woman touches the man's penis with her right
hand. The man hugs the woman with her left arm. Both have incised
decoration on the face. The woman is larger than the man.
ML600060 - Museo Larco.
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Stone phallus
Recuay culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
- Stone sculpture depicting an erect penis.
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Sculpture representing erect penis.
ML300076 - Museo Larco.
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Room 3 - Female and male body: The female body and the male body
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The female body and the male body
The way in which we conceive our own bodily form is strongly influenced
by our particular cultural and moral framework. Certain dogmas may tell
us that the human body should be covered, or even that the “flesh” of
the body stands in opposition to the spirit, to the divine. By
presenting an art form which does not shy away from the naked body, our
aim is to rid ourselves of certain concepts deeply-rooted in our own
society’s thought, in order to better understand a very different vision
of the human body, expressed in the art of ancient Peru.
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Around 4000 years ago, clay was adopted as the material that enabled
ancient Peruvians to depict their world. The human body was expressed
in the form of vessels or bowls which were more than mere objects:
they were hollow sculptures in which air, water and other fluids
flowed, circulated, entered and exited, symbolically activating and
animating the clay medium.
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In the art of ancient Peru, we find sculptural clay vessels
representing nude female and male bodies in suggestive poses, with the
sexual organs explicitly displayed, or depicted as disproportionately
large. Also found are male and female sexual organs modeled in great
detail in the form of different vessels and indicating careful study
of human anatomy.
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The pottery vessels we see in these rooms were used in agricultural
ceremonies, in the preparation of meals and drinks for festivities, in
funerary rites, and in sacrifice rituals. Their ultimate fate was to
be buried, together with other vessels and diverse offerings. These
objects served as messages to the living and to those who, in the
afterlife, dwelled in the underworld.
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People interacted with these objects; they held them in their hands
and may even have drunk from them during animated festivities and
ceremonies. These acts almost certainly stimulated a range of erotic
responses, provoking excitement and desire, and generating collective
situations in which play and humor would have been present.
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Female connections
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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Pottery bottles showing a woman in two positions often depicted in
sexual scenes.
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In one of these, the woman is shown lying face down on her stomach,
her legs bent, as in other scenes depicting anal penetration. The
vessel’s handle connects the woman’s head with her coccyx, parts of
the body not associated with procreation.
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In the other bottle, the woman is lying on her back, with her legs
open and raised, as in other scenes depicting vaginal sex. The handle
connects the woman’s heart and vagina, organs directly associated with
blood flow and procreation, thereby creating a circuit through which
liquid and air could flow through this ceremonial object.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a woman lying
on her ventral ulna, with braids, pectoral, body paint and exposed
vulva. Realistic.
ML004206 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a woman in a
supine position with her legs open, with braids, a pectoral with
quadrangular designs, a navel and disproportionate genitals.
Realistic.
ML004240 - Museo Larco.
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Female recipient
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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In these pottery bowls the female form is shown with a
disproportionately large vulva, associating her power to give life
with the creative power of the earth: Pachamama, or Mother Earth.
These bowls have been modeled so that the vulva forms the entrance and
exit routes for liquids.
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Symbolically, these bowls function as the vehicle for the flow of
liquids into the body, as when the female body is inseminated, and
also for the outward flow of fluids, as in childbirth.
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The women depicted in the bowls are show as receptive bodies. When
liquid is poured into the bowls it disappears, seemingly absorbed by
the female body, leaving the bowl itself dry and the woman’s interior
moistened.
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When a person drinks from this bowl, the action can be interpreted as
an act of oral sex performed upon the woman.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bowl representing a woman in a supine position with braids,
circular earflaps, pectoral, facial and body paint, wristbands, legs
and arms open to the sides and a hole representing an excessive vulva.
Humorous.
ML004355 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural vase that represents a woman lying down showing a vulva
with open, large lips and a visible clitoris. The woman wears braids,
face and body paint, a pectoral, and painted nails. This piece is a
sculptural bowl that could be used for drinking in a ritual or
ceremony. The liquid must be drunk through the woman's vulva.
ML004426 - Museo Larco.
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Bowl with a sculptural representation of a woman in a supine position,
with braids, legs and arms open to the sides, with a necklace, facial
and body paint, and a hole representing an excessive vulva.
ML004209 - Museo Larco.
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Male genitalia
Vicús culture, Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE). Moche culture,
Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE). Lambayeque culture, Fusion Epoch (800
CE – 1300 CE).
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With their spouts or lips shaped like an erect penis, these pottery
bottles would have served to mimic the penis’s function as an emitter
of fluids, and they would probably have been used in rituals
associated with the fertilization of the earth.
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When the user attempted to drink a liquid from the upper opening, it
would spill through the orifices located around the rim. And so, the
liquid contained in these vessels had to be poured or drunk from the
penis.
- From left to right:
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Bottle neck, bridge handle, ribboned whistler protome representing
penis with horizontal line designs. Humorous.
ML004433 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural vase representing a man with an excessive penis and facial
and body paint. Humorous.
ML004377 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural vase representing male genitalia. The body of the vessel
has designs of scrolls and zigzag lines. Humorous.
ML004434 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural vase representing an erect penis. Humorous.
ML004357 - Museo Larco.
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Male body
Vicús culture, Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE). Moche culture,
Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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Sculptural pottery bottles representing the erect penis. In one of
these, we see an anthropomorphized penis holding its nose and entering
the female body. In great detail, the Moche artist depicts the vulva
and the woman’s pubic hair surrounding the penis and testicles.
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The male body’s function as the emitter of semen is also associated
with power. Figures depicted with disproportionately large genitalia
are also shown with symbols of hierarchical status, such as decorated
attire and elite status throne-like seats.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle representing male genitalia. Humorous.
ML004428 - Museo Larco.
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Bottle neck with side handle representing male genitalia (penis).
Realistic.
ML004201 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural vase representing a seated man masturbating with an
excessively erect penis, headdress with geometric designs, circular
earmuffs, shirt and loincloth. Humorous.
ML004207 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing male genitalia
(penis). Representation of a human head, with tubular earflaps and
pectoral. Humorous.
ML004356 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle representing male genitalia. Realistic.
ML004432 - Museo Larco.
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Anthropomorphic penises
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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In these sculptural pottery bottles male genitalia are depicted with
faces and human limbs.
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The head of these figures is formed by the glans, and the knees by the
testicles.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a kneeling man
with the head of the glans with semicircular designs, wrinkles on the
face, tunic, knees that represent the testicles and a bulge on the
back. Moralizing.
ML004310 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a kneeling man
with a glans head with semicircular designs, wrinkles on the face,
tubular ear flaps, a tunic, knees that represent the testicles and a
bulge on the back. Moralizing.
ML004312 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing penis with
representation of human head with tubular earflaps. Humorous.
ML004354 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a seated man
with a glans head, tubular ear flaps, a shirt with geometric designs,
a skirt with designs of diagonal lines, a bulge on the back and
buttocks that represent testicles. Moralizing.
ML004314 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a seated man
with a glans head, wrinkles on his face, tubular ear flaps, a tunic, a
bulge on his back and buttocks representing testicles. Moralizing.
ML004313 - Museo Larco.
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Vicús sexual union
Vicús culture, Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE).
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These sculptural clay whistling bottles depict couples engaged in two
different types of sexual union.
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In one, with his penis erect the man mounts the woman, who is lying on
her back. The man holds a child in his arms.
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In the other, anal penetration is depicted. The woman is wearing face
and body paint, her braided hair is twisted into buns, and she is
supporting herself on her four limbs. The man is wearing a
three-pointed headdress and breastplate, face and body paint, and ear
adornments, indicating his high status.
- From left to right:
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Double-bodied bottle with a bridge handle and a banded whistle
representing a man with a headdress, face paint, eyes closed, nose
ring, robe and erect penis, holding an infant, standing over a woman
lying down with her eyes closed, face paint, a necklace of circular
beads, a tunic and a bare chest. Body with geometric designs of
horizontal lines and spirals.
ML017752 - Museo Larco.
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Double-bodied bottle with strapped bridge handle and whistle
representing intercourse between a man and a woman. The woman has face
and body paint, braids curled around her head, and is in a quadrupedal
position. The man has a three-pointed headdress, face and body paint,
pierced ears, and a breastplate. Realistic.
ML004435 - Museo Larco.
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Virú sexual union
Virú culture, Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE).
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These sculptural bottles depict a couple engaged in two different
types of sexual union. One is a scene of vaginal intercourse, while
the other depicts anal penetration.
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The two vessels appear to depict the same couple, with the man shown
wearing face paint and cross-like symbols on his headdress.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle neck with side handle representing intercourse
between woman and man. The man has a turban with cross designs and
face paint. The woman has a turban, face paint and is in a supine
position. Realistic.
ML004446 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with side handle representing anal intercourse
between man and woman. The man has a hat and face paint. The woman has
a hat and is in a ventral ulna position. Realistic.
ML004447 - Museo Larco.
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Room 4: Life-giving sexual union
The inhabitants of this world interact sexually in a variety of ways. Among
these interactions is the union of man and woman, complementary opposites who
join in order to procreate, just as the primordial couple did. The mother,
like Mother Earth, feeds and nurtures her offspring. Thus, new life develops
and also gives forth fruit, thereby ensuring the continuity of the community.
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According to the Andean worldview, life in this world exists by virtue of
the ongoing interaction between opposite forces which at the same time are
complementary. Night gives way to day, the earth receives the water with
which it is made fertile, the female body receives the male semen, and new
life is created. These procreative unions occur between humans, and also
among other animals, thereby ensuring the continuity of life in this earthly
world, in Kay Pacha.
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Such unions are the expression of a pair of opposites which are dependent
upon each other (yanantin). The couple represents a duality that is
not static, but rather dynamic. Their coming together is a tinkuy, a
generative encounter. As the product of this union, new life grows and
emerges into the light from within the female body, joining the parents in
their bed, where they remain sexually active while exercising their maternal
and paternal duties.
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The offspring, the fruit of this union, is fed by the mother and thus
introduced to the good life (kawsay). The mother’s milk, like the
water and soil that nurture plants and enable them to grow, feeds and
sustains the child, driving its development. Breastfeeding is a powerful
act, a manifestation of the female’s ability to nurture and protect, and it
has been depicted in all cultures, throughout history. Even divine beings,
in their infancy, must be fed by their mother before they can become heroes,
gods, or prophets.
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But men and women do not only procreate and nurture. In the art of ancient
Peru other sexual activities that do not lead to insemination were depicted
in detail. Anal penetration, for example, is depicted, most often in
association with scenes that evoke the world of the dead. There, in the
underworld, what occurs is the activation of the inhabitants of Uku Pacha,
so that they will water and fertilize Mother Earth. In some scenes, men and
women engage in sexual acts with mythical and ancestral beings.
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Reproduction
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE). Lambayeque culture,
Fusion Epoch (800 CE – 1300 CE).
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These sculptural pottery bottles depict scenes of intercourse between
a man and a woman. The man is wearing a turban, tunic and loincloth.
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In one scene, the woman wears braids, round ear adornments and a
breastplate, and she is lying on her back.
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In the other the man is holding the woman by the back of her head and
kissing her chin as she embraces him.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing intercourse
between man and woman. The woman has braids, circular earflaps, a
pectoral and is in a dorsal ulna position. The man has a turban, shirt
and loincloth. Realistic.
ML004271 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with side handle and whistle representing
intercourse between man and woman. The woman is in a dorsal ulna
position. The man has a turban with a visor and a loincloth.
Realistic.
ML004376 - Museo Larco.
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Active woman
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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In these scenes of sexual union, the woman is shown on top of the man,
in a more active role.
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The handle connects the woman’s body with the main body of the bottle,
creating a circuit through which water could flow, while the spout
connects the interior and exterior of the vessel.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing anal
intercourse between man and woman. The woman has braids, ear muffs and
is sitting on the man. The man has a turban, a shirt with a tiered
design and his head is on a pillow with circular designs. Realistic.
ML004232 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing intercourse
between man and woman. The woman has braids, a breastplate and is
sitting on top of the man. The man has a turban, body paint, tubular
ear muffs, and a circular bead necklace. Realistic.
ML004231 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing anal
intercourse between man and woman. The woman sitting on the man has
braids and a necklace. The man has a turban and shirt with tiered
designs. Realistic.
ML004208 - Museo Larco.
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Pregnancy and childbirth
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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Childbirth marks the transition from the dark, watery interior of the
mother’s uterus, deep within the female body, to the exterior world.
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In one of these pieces, we see a woman giving birth, accompanied by
two midwives: a doula (a woman who assists another woman during
pregnancy) and the birth attendant who delivers the child.
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The woman giving birth is depicted with the dark pigment of the
secondary areola around her nipples, a sign that her body is preparing
itself for breastfeeding.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a seated
pregnant woman, with a handkerchief and an uncovered vulva. Realistic.
ML004423 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a seated woman
giving birth. She has face and body paint and is being served by a
woman with braids, face and body paint. Realistic.
ML004425 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a seated woman
giving birth, being cared for by two women. One of them has braids, a
tunic and is sitting. The other has braids and is kneeling helping to
evacuate the child. Representation of objects.
A birth scene is depicted on this sculptural ceramic bottle. The woman
who is giving birth is assisted by a midwife who is in front of her,
and another woman who holds her behind her, to facilitate vertical
birth. These sculptural bottles present the transition from inside the
mother's womb, from the humid and dark world, to the outside world.
ML004424 - Museo Larco.
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Recuay couple
Recuay culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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The original sexual union of the ancestors is depicted in clay vessels
across different pottery styles found in southern and northern Peru,
both on the coast and in the highlands.
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The arrangement of this scene is very similar in all cases, and in
most examples the details emphasize the man’s headdress and the
woman’s body decoration.
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In these pieces, the man is wearing a frontal plumed headdress, round
ear adornments with circular motifs, and a breastplate with geometric
circular designs. The woman is wearing a scarf and face paint.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural jug representing intercourse between woman and man. The man
has a cap with a visor and plume, circular earmuffs with geometric
designs, a tunic with geometric designs and body paint. The woman has
a scarf, a tunic with geometric designs and body paint. Realistic.
ML004395 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural jug representing vaginal intercourse between woman and man.
The man has a headdress with a front plume, circular earflaps with a
circle design and a pectoral with geometric circle designs. The woman
has a scarf and face paint. Realistic.
ML004394 - Museo Larco.
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Nazca couple
Nazca culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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The original sexual union between the ancestors is depicted in clay
vessels across different pottery styles found in southern and northern
Peru, both on the coast and in the highlands.
-
The arrangement of this scene is very similar in all cases, and in
most examples the details emphasize the man’s headdress and the
woman’s body decoration.
-
In these pieces, the woman is wearing wristbands and body paint. The
man is wearing a turban and wristbands.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle neck with side handle and whistle representing
intercourse between woman and man. The woman has wristbands and body
paint. The man has a turban and wristbands. Realistic.
ML004414 - Museo Larco.
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Bottle with double spout neck and ribbon bridge handle representing
vaginal intercourse between man and woman. The woman has wristbands
and body paint. Realistic.
ML004411 - Museo Larco.
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Union between a toad and jaguar
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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In the Andean worldview, toads are associated with the humid world,
while jaguars are associated with the earth.
-
The two animals are depicted in mythological union. The jaguar adopts
the dominant male posture, while the toad takes a passive female role.
From this union a toad with the ears of a jaguar is born, and from its
body there sprout cassava plants.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a feline toad
with representations of tying yuccas and pallares plants growing from
its body.
ML007171 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing intercourse
between a feline and a toad or frog with representations of bundles of
yucca growing from the body.
ML007179 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a feline toad
with representations of tying yuccas growing from its body.
ML007173 - Museo Larco.
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Intercourse among animals
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
Just as the gods engage in sexual union to give origin to life, in the
earthly world humans and animals engage in intercourse to procreate
and perpetuate the cycle of life.
- Here we see the coupling of monkeys and mice.
- From left to right:
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Bottle with neck and stirrup handle representing intercourse between
animals (rodents-mice).
ML004391 - Museo Larco.
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Side handle neck bottle with sculptural application of intercourse
between animals (rodents-mice). The male is in the posterior position
and the female in the anterior position, this one has her front legs
on a peanut. Additionally, the body of the piece features pictorial
representations of peanuts and rodents holding leaves. Realistic.
ML004387 - Museo Larco.
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Bottle with double spout neck and tubular bridge handle representing
intercourse between animals (monkeys). Realistic.
ML004386 - Museo Larco.
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Intercourse among animals
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
- Here we see the coupling of llamas and mice.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing intercourse
between camelids. This sculptural ceramic bottle shows two copulating
llamas.
ML004388 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing intercourse
between animals (rodents-mice). The male is holding a fruit (ulluchu).
Realistic.
ML004389 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing intercourse
between llamas. Realistic.
ML004390 - Museo Larco.
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Bed-sharing
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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In these sculptural clay bottles, the ancestral practice of
bed-sharing is depicted, in which infants sleep with their parents.
The couple is shown engaging in intercourse while the mother
breastfeeds the child.
-
In most such scenes, anal penetration is depicted. This
non-reproductive sexual practice may be associated with the temporary
postpartum infertility linked to breastfeeding.
- From left to right:
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing intercourse
between man and woman. The woman has braids, face paint, and is lying
on her side breastfeeding the child. The man has a turban. Realistic.
ML004233 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing the moment
prior to penetration between a man and a woman, accompanied by a
child. The man has a turban and the woman has braids, both are lying
on their sides and resting on a pillow. The three characters are
covered with a blanket. Realistic.
ML004220 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing anal
intercourse between a man and a woman, accompanied by a child. The
woman has braids, a pectoral and is lying on her side. The man has a
turban with circle designs and is lying on his side. The three
characters are covered by a blanket with geometric designs in the
shape of an "S". Realistic.
ML004213 - Museo Larco.
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Couple under a blanket
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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In these sculptural clay bottles, a couple is shown copulating,
partially covered by a blanket so that only their heads and genitals
can be seen.
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The way in which the blanket is depicted recalls a field system
divided into smallholdings, marked with cross-like motifs, the
universal symbol of encounter and connection.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing the moment
prior to penetration between a man and a woman. The man has a turban
and face paint. The woman has face paint. Both are lying on their
sides, supported by a pillow and covered with a blanket with geometric
designs. Realistic.
This sculptural ceramic bottle represents a man and a woman copulating
under a cloak that partially covers them, exposing their heads and
genitals. The cloak is made up of symmetrical boxes with crosses, a
universal symbol of encounter and connection.
ML004223 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing the moment
prior to penetration between a man and a woman. The man has a turban
and face paint. The woman has face paint. Both are lying on their
sides, supported by a pillow and covered with a blanket with geometric
designs. Realistic.
ML004236 - Museo Larco.
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Non-reproductive sex
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE). Lambayeque culture,
Fusion Epoch (800 CE – 1300 CE). Chimú and Chimú-Inca culture, Imperial
Epoch (1300 CE – 1532 CE).
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In these scenes featuring anal penetration, lying face down the
woman’s role is less active. In some cases, she is depicted as larger
than the man, in what may be an allusion to her rank. Here we see the
men wearing turbans and the women adorned with necklaces and face
paint, indicating their high social status.
-
The association of this non-reproductive sexual practice with the
underworld is expressed in the participation of individuals with
mutilated faces, possibly intended to represent the dead.
-
The pottery makers of ancient Peru incorporated the scene depicting
the man penetrating the woman into the main body of the vessel and the
positions of the handle and spout. In most cases, it appears that the
artist intended to connect the act of penetration with the flow of
liquid within the vessel.
- From left to right:
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Double body bottle with strapped bridge handle representing anal
intercourse between man and woman. The woman is on her ventral ulna.
The man has a two-pointed headdress and an excessive penis. Realistic.
ML004400 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing intercourse
between man and woman. The woman has braids, a pectoral with
quadrangular designs and is lying on her side. The man has a turban, a
shirt with a design of vertical lines and an excessive penis.
Realistic.
ML004235 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing anal
intercourse between man and woman. The woman has braids, a pectoral,
facial and body paint and wristbands, she is lying on her ventral ulna
on a pillow. The man has a turban, face and body paint, a tiered
shirt, and a loincloth. Realistic.
ML004253 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing anal
intercourse between man and woman. The woman has braids, a pectoral
with geometric designs and is in a ventral ulna position on a pillow.
The man has a turban, a shirt with geometric designs and a loincloth.
Realistic.
ML004222 - Museo Larco.
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing intercourse
between man and woman. The woman is in a ventral ulna position. The
man has a turban and a loincloth. Realistic.
ML004406 - Museo Larco.
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Non-reproductive sex (seen from the opposite side)
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE). Lambayeque culture,
Fusion Epoch (800 CE – 1300 CE). Chimú and Chimú-Inca culture, Imperial
Epoch (1300 CE – 1532 CE).
-
Bottle neck with stirrup handle representing anal intercourse between
man and woman. The woman has braids, tubular earflaps and a pectoral
with geometric designs. The man has a turban, tubular earmuffs, a
shirt and a loincloth. Realistic.
ML004279 - Museo Larco.
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing intercourse
between man and woman. The woman is in a ventral ulna position. The
man has a turban and a loincloth. Realistic.
ML004406 - Museo Larco.
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing anal
intercourse between man and woman. The woman has braids, a pectoral
with geometric designs and is in a ventral ulna position on a pillow.
The man has a turban, a shirt with geometric designs and a loincloth.
Realistic.
ML004222 - Museo Larco.
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing anal
intercourse between man and woman. The woman has braids, a pectoral,
facial and body paint and wristbands, she is lying on her ventral ulna
on a pillow. The man has a turban, face and body paint, a tiered
shirt, and a loincloth. Realistic.
ML004253 - Museo Larco.
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing intercourse
between man and woman. The woman has braids, a pectoral with
quadrangular designs and is lying on her side. The man has a turban, a
shirt with a design of vertical lines and an excessive penis.
Realistic.
ML004235 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing intercourse
between man and woman. The woman is in a ventral ulna position. The
man has a turban and a loincloth. Realistic.
ML004403 - Museo Larco.
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Scenes of fellatio
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE). Lambayeque culture,
Fusion Epoch (800 CE – 1300 CE).
-
In these scenes depicting fellatio, the men are shown wearing a small
mantilla and cap, items associated with priests. The women are also
adorned, indicating their high social status.
-
In one of these pieces, an older man is depicted with a wrinkled face,
possibly with the intention of emphasizing the ability of men to
continue producing semen into old age, even as the moment approaches
for their transition to the underworld.
-
In several such scenes, the women are depicted as larger than the men,
possibly as an allusion to their importance as givers of life,
symbolically representing Pachamama, who receives fertilizing water
during rituals.
- From left to right:
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing fellatio
between man and woman. The woman has braids and is kneeling. The man
has a turban with geometric designs, face and body paint, circular
earmuffs, wristbands, shirt, loincloth and is sitting on a stool.
Realistic.
ML004285 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing fellatio
between man and woman. The woman has a headdress, circular ear muffs,
a tunic with geometric designs and is kneeling holding a penis. The
man has a loincloth, a blanket with circular designs and is lying on
his side. Realistic.
ML004283 - Museo Larco.
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Double-bodied bottle with strapped bridge handle and whistler
representing fellatio between man and woman. The woman is sitting. The
man has a turban and an excessive penis. Realistic.
ML004378 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing fellatio
between man and woman. The woman has braids, a tunic with circle
designs and is kneeling. The man has wrinkles, a hat and an excessive
penis. Realistic.
ML004282 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing fellatio
between man and woman. The woman has wristbands and facial decoration.
The man has a pectoral, facial decoration, wristbands, an excessive
penis and is in a dorsal ulna position. Realistic.
ML004382 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing fellatio
between man and woman. The woman has braids and is kneeling. The man
has a turban, a shirt with a tiered design, a loincloth and is sitting
on a stool. Realistic.
ML004290 - Museo Larco.
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Fellatio between woman and man
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing fellatio
between man and woman.
- The woman has braids and is kneeling.
-
The man has a turban with geometric designs, face and body paint,
circular earmuffs, wristbands, shirt, loincloth and is sitting on a
stool. Realistic.
-
See more at
ML004285 - Museo Larco.
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Scenes of fellatio (seen from the opposite side)
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE). Lambayeque culture,
Fusion Epoch (800 CE – 1300 CE).
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing fellatio
between man and woman. The woman has wristbands and facial decoration.
The man has a pectoral, facial decoration, wristbands, an excessive
penis and is in a dorsal ulna position. Realistic.
ML004382 - Museo Larco.
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing fellatio
between man and woman. The woman has braids and is kneeling. The man
has a turban, a shirt with a tiered design, a loincloth and is sitting
on a stool. Realistic.
ML004290 - Museo Larco.
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing fellatio
between man and woman. The woman has a necklace. The man has a turban,
a shirt with tiered designs and a loincloth. They are both lying on
their sides. Realistic.
ML004286 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing fellatio
between man and woman. The woman has braids, a tunic with circle
designs and is kneeling. The man has wrinkles, a hat and an excessive
penis. Realistic.
ML004282 - Museo Larco.
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing fellatio
between man and woman. The woman has braids and is kneeling. The man
has a turban with geometric designs, face and body paint, circular
earmuffs, wristbands, shirt, loincloth and is sitting on a stool.
Realistic.
ML004285 - Museo Larco.
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing fellatio
between man and woman. The woman has a headdress, circular ear muffs,
a tunic with geometric designs and is kneeling holding a penis. The
man has a loincloth, a blanket with circular designs and is lying on
his side. Realistic.
ML004283 - Museo Larco.
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Fellatio between woman and man
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing fellatio
between man and woman.
- The woman has a necklace.
-
The man has a turban, a shirt with tiered designs and a loincloth.
- They are both lying on their sides. Realistic.
-
See more at
ML004286 - Museo Larco.
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Fellatio between woman and man
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing fellatio
between man and woman.
-
The woman has a headdress, circular ear muffs, a tunic with geometric
designs and is kneeling holding a penis.
-
The man has a loincloth, a blanket with circular designs and is lying
on his side. Realistic.
-
See more at
ML004283 - Museo Larco.
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Sexual stimulation of a mythological woman
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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In this clay pitcher a scene of female masturbation is depicted. A
male figure with cadaverous features, extremely thin limbs and a
broken head sexually stimulates the woman.
-
The nature of her adornments, including a bead necklace, and the way
her hair is braided into two plaits, indicate that the woman depicted
in this scene is a mythological figure.
-
Sculptural pitcher representing a man touching a woman's vulva. The
woman has face paint. Realistic.
ML004330 - Museo Larco.
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Room 5: Sexual activity in the underworld
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Sexual activity in the underworld
In the art of ancient Peru, in addition to sexual activities between
beings that inhabit the earthly world, we also find represented sexual
interactions among the inhabitants of the underworld, the ancestors. In
these interactions associated with Uku Pacha, the intention appears to
be the propitiation and arousal of the ancestors, the release of semen,
the flowing of fluids symbolizing, perhaps, the coming of the rains
needed to ensure the fertility of the earth.
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In the sexual scenes modeled in clay by the peoples of ancient Peru,
women are depicted as receptive vessels, but also as the producers of
bodily fluids. Women are shown being touched, caressed, kissed and
penetrated. In pottery vessels we see women inseminated, pregnant,
giving birth, feeding, nurturing. Women are also depicted as sexually
active individuals, fomenting the emission of the seminal fluid
produced by their male partners.
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Men are depicted as emitters, inseminators, projecting their virility
and power. Men touch, caress and kiss, and they are also touched,
caressed and kissed. They are also depicted as passive recipients of
the propitiatory actions of their female partners, particularly when
shown as inhabitants of the underworld, with cadaverous features which
nevertheless leave their virility undiminished. In fact, these
ancestors are clearly not considered “dead” or inactive, but rather as
beings responsible for vitalizing the earth from within.
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The two types of sexual activity engaged in by priests and women with
the archetypal features representative of Mother Earth are fellatio
and masturbation. In both activities, the receptive vessel is the
so-called “canchero”, a bowl with a handle, the opening of which
represents, in some cases, a women’s mouth, and in others the vagina.
These activities may have been performed in ceremonial contexts
associated with the fertility of the land.
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Fellatio as a ritual offering
Chancay culture, Imperial Epoch (1300 CE – 1532 CE).
-
In ancient Peru, scenes depicting fellatio are associated with ritual
offerings intended to propitiate the fertility of the earth.
-
This pair of articulated wooden dolls represent a man and woman, both
wearing face paint. They are engaged in an act of fellatio.
-
See more at
5.32. Fellatio as a ritual offering - Museo Larco.
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Ancestral sexual union
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
In the art of ancient Peru, an episode from Moche mythology, depicted
in relief on clay bottles and pitchers, offers us in visual detail the
moment when the cycle of life is regenerated.
-
Following his death and passage into the underworld, the hero Ai Apaec
is finally joined with Mother Earth. Pachamama receives him and they
copulate, accompanied by individuals who “water” the encounter, in
order to ensure the growth of the fruit of their union.
- From left to right:
-
Bottle with side handle and a representation of a scene of intercourse
between an anthropomorphic character with supernatural features (Aia
Paec) and a woman inside a structure with a sloping roof. The woman is
in a supine position and on her head she has a bottle with a stirrup
handle. An ulluchu tree grows from the woman's genitals with a
representation of animals (monkeys) carrying bags and harvesting.
Religious.
ML004358 - Museo Larco.
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Pitcher with a representation of a scene of intercourse between an
anthropomorphic character with supernatural features (Aia Paec) and a
woman inside a structure with a sloping roof. The woman is in a supine
position and on her head she has a bottle with a stirrup handle.
Religious.
ML004365 - Museo Larco.
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Ancestral sexual union
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
Mold matrix of ceramic pieces, with a representation of an intercourse
scene between an anthropomorphic character with supernatural features
(Aia Paec) and a woman inside a structure with a sloping roof. The
woman is in a supine position and on her head she has a bottle with a
stirrup handle. Religious.
ML004363 - Museo Larco.
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Bottle with neck and side handle with representation of a scene of
intercourse between an anthropomorphic character with supernatural
features (Aia Paec) and a woman inside a structure with a gable roof.
The woman has braids, a tunic and is in a supine position. The
anthropomorphic character with supernatural features has feline fangs,
a wrinkled face, a feline headdress, a crescent and plume, snake head
earrings, a snake belt and a loincloth. Representation of dog outside
the structure. Religious.
ML004360 - Museo Larco.
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Scenes of fellatio
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
In this scene depicting ritual fellatio, the woman exhibits the
features that characterize the archetypal female represented by
Pachamama, or Mother Earth, and she is modeled on a larger scale than
the man in the scene. Her hair is braided and she is wearing tubular
ear adornments, a breastplate, wristbands, and a tunic with geometric
designs. She is kneeling before the man, who is wearing the type of
turban associated with priests, a breastplate, tunic and loincloth.
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The head of this woman who receives the seminal fluid that will be
offered to the earth was depicted in “cancheros”, the clay vessels
used to toast corn. The opening of this vessel is formed by the
woman’s mouth.
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See more at
5.36. Scenes of fellatio - Museo Larco.
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Fellatio between woman and man
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle that represents an act of
fellatio by a woman to a man.
-
The woman has braids, tubular earmuffs, a breastplate, wrist guards,
and a tunic with geometric designs and is kneeling in front of the
man.
-
The man has a turban, breastplate and shirt. The scale of the woman
who performs fellatio is greater than that of the man.
-
The base of the bottle features triangle designs organized in a spiral
arrangement.
-
See more at
ML004284 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural canchero
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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Sculptural canchero
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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Sculptural canchero representing human head with facial paint and
necklace of circular beads.
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See more at
ML006254 - Museo Larco.
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The underworld and the reversal of order
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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When the dead awaken and ascend to the earthly world (Kay Pacha), and
the deity passes from the celestial world (Hanan Pacha) to the
underworld (Uku Pacha), anal penetration is practiced, in response to
this reversal of order.
-
The dead rise from their tombs, play music, dance, and assist the
deity in crossing from the earthly world to the underworld, pushing
his head and pulling his feet.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a seated male
skeleton character carrying a skeleton child on his back.
Representation of dance of the dead: male skeletal characters playing
quena with animal heads; Male skeleton characters dancing holding
hands.
ML012920 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural vase representing anal intercourse between man and woman.
The woman has braids, facial and pectoral paint, and she is in a
ventral ulna position supported on a pillow. The man has a turban with
geometric designs, a shirt, wristbands, a loincloth and an oversized
penis. Realistic.
ML004264 - Museo Larco.
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Bone and turquoise spoon with anthropomorphic character with a human
body, torso and feline head holding a character leaning forward.
ML500038 - Museo Larco.
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Bowl with sculptural representation of a character pulled by the feet
of a dead man, with face paint, shirt and loincloth. Bowl that
represents the Uku Pacha or world below.
ML002281 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing two dead men
and a woman. The woman is hugging one of them, the other is carrying a
bundle. The woman has braids, a tunic with a belt and with a stick she
hits the dead man who is ahead. Moralizing.
ML004332 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a dead man
holding a bowl with his left hand, with an owl headdress and a
mutilated nose. Moralizing.
ML004308 - Museo Larco.
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Scenes of masturbation
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
In one of these pieces, a cadaverous man, an inhabitant of the
underworld, is being masturbated by a woman. This occurs in the world
of the dead, as indicated by the step symbol on one of the walls of
the vessel, and by the painted ceremonial vessels, which are funerary
offerings. Painted next to the couple, we see a bowl with a handle,
used for toasting corn and known as a “canchero”.
-
These cancheros are ceremonial vessels, probably used in propitiation
rites to receive real or symbolic semen. In these vessels, the woman
is shown as the recipient, and the orifice through which the liquid
enters is her vagina.
- From left to right:
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Container with a sculptural handle (canchero) representing a woman
with a turban on her head and with her genitals represented in an
excessive manner around the opening of the container. The woman is
presented in this bowl in the position of recipient. The orifice
through which the liquid can enter the woman's body corresponds to the
vagina, through which semen also enters the female body in the act of
fertilization. When liquid is poured into this bowl, it symbolically
enters the interior of the woman's body, which could be representing
mother earth.
ML004200 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural canchero representing the body of a naked woman with open
legs showing vulva and breasts, trapezoidal bead necklace and
wristbands. Realistic.
ML004219 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle that represents a woman
touching the penis of a dead man. It is a scene of masturbation of a
woman to a cadaverous man. The woman has braids. The dead man has a
turban and a loincloth. Very close to the man's genitals we can see a
drawing of a canchero on the upper surface of the base of the bottle.
On one side of the base of the bottle, jugs with rope around the neck
have been drawn, and a bottle with a stirrup handle.
ML004341 - Museo Larco.
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Masturbation scene of a resident of Uku Pacha
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
This sculptural ceramic bottle represents a cadaverous man, an
inhabitant of the world below, who is being masturbated by a woman.
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It would be a scene of propitiation of the world of the dead, in which
the end of the action is not fertilization, but the emission of real
or symbolic semen.
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The relationship between this type of masturbatory sexual activity and
the world of the dead is evidenced by the presence of objects related
to funerary activity, represented near the couple.
-
Among these objects are jugs and bottles from funerary trousseau,
rattles and other objects used by healers or shamans in preparing the
body of the dead for burial.
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Additionally, the stepped design on the walls of the bottle symbolizes
access to the world below.
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See more at
ML004341 - Museo Larco.
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Elite ancestors
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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The characteristics of their headdress or crown identify the
cadaverous figures in these scenes as elite ancestors who, in the
world of the dead, retain the high social status they enjoyed in life.
-
The ancestor is flanked by smaller men and women, some of whom are
depicted as cadaverous, while others are not.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a dead man
masturbating, with an owl headdress, turban and cape. Moralizing.
ML004323 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a dead man
flanked by two women. The dead man has a headdress consisting of a
turban and a half-moon with a human head, circular earmuffs, a
pectoral with geometric designs and is playing the quena. The living
woman has braids and is touching the dead man's penis. The dead woman
has braids. Moralizing.
ML004347 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a dead man
with a turban, circular earflaps, holes in the eyes and waist, shirt
and skirt. Moralizing.
ML004307 - Museo Larco.
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Music in the world of the ancestors
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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In these sculptural clay bottles, cadaverous male figures wear
headdresses and decorative tunics, and in some cases large ear
adornments, indicating their high social status.
-
These figures are shown playing an instrument. Most of them are
playing panpipes, an instrument played in pairs, the complementary
sounds of which propitiate contact between the earthly world (Kay
Pacha) and the world of the dead (Uku Pacha).
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a dead man
playing antara, with a turban with geometric designs, circular
earflaps and holes in the eyes and mouth. Moralizing.
ML004328 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing dead man
flanked by living woman and dead woman. The dead man has a turban,
circular earmuffs and a pectoral with geometric designs. The living
woman has braids and is touching the man's penis. The dead woman has
braids and a tunic. Moralizing.
ML004349 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a dead woman
and man hugging. The woman has braids, face and body paint, a
breastplate, and a tunic. The dead man has a bird headdress, circular
ear muffs, a pectoral, a shirt, a skirt with circular designs and is
playing an antara. Moralizing.
ML004336 - Museo Larco.
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Propitiation of the ancestors 1
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
The inhabitants of the underworld participate in a range of sexual
acts, involving particularly the touching of the genitals, kissing,
and fellatio. They are aroused in order to demonstrate their potency
and to emit fertilizing fluid. They are also shown arousing the woman
who represents Mother Earth.
- From left to right:
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing dead man
flanked by two dead women. The characters are seated. Moralizing.
ML004352 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a woman
touching a man's penis. The woman has braids, a breastplate and a
tunic. The man has a shirt and cape. Both characters are sitting and
hugging. Zoomorphic representation in relief. Realistic.
ML004335 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a woman
flanked by two dead men. The woman has braids and a breastplate. A
dead man is touching the woman's vulva and the other man is
masturbating. Moralizing.
ML004353 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing dead man
flanked by two dead women. Moralizing.
ML004346 - Museo Larco.
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Manual stimulation of woman's genitals by dead man
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a woman
flanked by two dead men.
- The woman has braids and a breastplate.
-
A dead man is touching the woman's vulva and the other man is
masturbating. Moralizing.
-
See more at
ML004353 - Museo Larco.
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Manual stimulation of man's genitals by woman
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a woman
touching a man's penis.
- The woman has braids, a breastplate and a tunic.
- The man has a shirt and cape.
- Both characters are sitting and hugging.
- Zoomorphic representation in relief. Realistic.
-
See more at
ML004335 - Museo Larco.
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The dead fertilizing the underworld
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
The central piece, a sculptural clay vase, depicts a cadaverous male
individual, a sexually active inhabitant of the underworld. His penis
is shown as disproportionately large, emphasizing his ability to
produce semen and, therefore, to fertilize.
-
The other sculptural clay bottles depict the inhabitants of the
underworld, whom we would consider the dead. However, in the Andean
worldview, they remain vital and active in the world below.
-
Their vitality is manifested in their ability to continue fertilizing,
as can be seen in these bottles, where cadaverous men masturbate to
produce fertilizing semen.
-
See more at
5.42. The dead fertilizing the underworld - Museo Larco.
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Manual stimulation of dead man's genitals by woman
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
Bottle neck with stirrup handle sculptural representing a woman
touching the penis of a dead man.
- The woman has braids and a breastplate.
- The dead man has a cape.
- They are both sitting and hugging. Moralizing.
- Painted surface decoration.
-
See more at
ML004344 - Museo Larco.
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Dead man sitting masturbating
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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Bottle neck with stirrup handle sculptural representing dead man
seated masturbating, with hood and cape. Moralizing.
-
See more at
ML004321 - Museo Larco.
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Dead man sitting masturbating
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
-
This sculptural ceramic bottle depicts a male inhabitant of the
underworld, whom we would call a dead man.
-
However, in the Andean world, he is still active in the inner world.
-
His vitality is manifested in the possibility of further fertilizing,
since even cadaverous, this man is capable of emitting semen through
masturbatory action.
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See more at
ML004212 - Museo Larco.
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Propitiation of the ancestors 2
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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The male and female inhabitants of the underworld participate in a
range of sexual activities, including mutual masturbation and kissing.
They are aroused in order to demonstrate their potency and to emit the
semen which symbolically fertilizes the earth from the underworld.
Here a woman is also shown being stimulated by her male partner.
- From left to right:
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a dead man
touching the vulva of a dead woman. They are both sitting and hugging.
Moralizing.
ML004335 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a dead woman
touching the penis of a dead man. The dead man has a cape. Both
characters are sitting and hugging. Moralizing.
ML004345 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a woman
touching the penis of a dead man. The woman has braids, a breastplate
and a tunic. The dead man has a cape. Both characters are sitting,
hugging and kissing. Moralizing.
ML004334 - Museo Larco.
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a dead man
touching the vulva of a dead woman. The woman is one-armed. They are
both sitting and hugging. Moralizing.
ML004316 - Museo Larco.
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Manual stimulation of genitals of dead woman by dead man
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a dead man
touching the vulva of a dead woman.
- The woman is one-armed.
- They are both sitting and hugging. Moralizing.
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See more at
ML004316 - Museo Larco.
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Manual stimulation of dead man's genitals by dead woman (left) and
manual stimulation of dead man's genitals by woman (right)
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a dead woman
touching the penis of a dead man. The dead man has a cape. Both
characters are sitting and hugging. Moralizing.
ML004345 - Museo Larco.
-
Sculptural bottle neck with stirrup handle representing a woman
touching the penis of a dead man. The woman has braids, a breastplate
and a tunic. The dead man has a cape. Both characters are sitting,
hugging and kissing. Moralizing.
ML004334 - Museo Larco.
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The embrace of Ai Apaec
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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This sculptural pitcher depicts the mythological Moche hero Ai Apaec,
recognizable by his serpent-headed belt and ear adornments, and his
feline fangs, embracing and at the same time clutching the hair of an
individual with the appearance of a prisoner, with his plumed
headdress, tunic, belt and bag on his back.
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The piece has been modeled in the form of a tuber, probably as an
allusion to the sacrifice that occurs in the underworld, the world of
the ancestors. The prisoner symbolizes the offering of life made by
the hero to the earth.
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In order to ensure the continuity of the cycle of life, two events
were considered necessary: the union of a fertilizing male deity with
Mother Earth, and an offering of sacrificial blood that would enable
the renewal of life’s essential cycle, as occurs in nature.
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See more at
5.44. The embrace of Ai Apaec - Museo Larco.
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Room 6: Regeneration
The regeneration of life: The union of the Hero and Mother Earth
The primordial union, that which must be repeated again and again, is the
sacred joining of mythical beings that enables the continuation of the cycle
of life. In the art of the cultures that occupied Peru’s northern coast, we
find the hero Ai Apaec, who followed the path of the sun, where he joined with
Mother Earth to inseminate her in a union from which the tree of life was
reborn, and life in this world was regenerated.
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In the art of ancient Peru, a scene depicted in relief on clay bottles
offers us, in visual detail, the moment when the cycle of life is
regenerated. This is an episode in the mythology of the Moche, a culture
that emerged on Peru’s northern coast some 1500 years ago.
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Following a journey filled with adventures and heroic feats in pursuit of
the sun, which from the celestial world of Hanan Pacha had sunk into the
world of darkness, the hero Ai Apaec dies as he enters the underworld, Uku
Pacha, where the ancestors dwell. There, he manages to recover his powers
with the help of a female shaman, and finally he is able to join with Mother
Earth. She, Pachamama, receives him and they copulate in fertile union
beneath the celestial vault, represented by a great two-headed serpent. A
tree of life grows and connects the Earth with the heavens. That moment is
witnessed by a group of three individuals, who arrive on foot to offer water
with which to douse the tree and ensure the growth of the fruit of that
union.
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This scene of meeting and renewal, or tinkuy, probably represents an
important moment in the agricultural calendar of ancient Peruvian societies,
when two opposite and complementary forces, male and female, come together
to enable renewal through a new cycle. It may be related to Andean
ceremonies associated with agricultural fertility, conducted around the
month of September, when sowing has been completed and the soil must be
watered so that plants can germinate. It may also refer to the moment when
the sun, having arrived at its farthest point in the northern sky during the
southern hemisphere’s winter solstice, between June 20th and June 23rd, must
be halted so that its return can be ensured, beginning on June 24th, when a
new solar cycle begins and the renewal of life in the earthly realm is
assured.
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It is interesting to note the marked similarities between this calendrical
event and the representation of the Nativity celebrated on December 25th in
the Judeo-Christian religious tradition, with its clear connection to the
December 21st winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. A comparison of
these two scenes brings to mind how, over time, the human experience has
been expressed through specific cultural filters, while retaining its
universal essence.
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Sexual union between Ai Apaec and Pachamama
Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).
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In the world of the ancestors, Mother Earth is inseminated by male
power, symbolized in the form of the mythological hero Ai Apaec, who
displays his feline fangs and wears a serpent belt. For her part, the
archetypal woman who represents Mother Earth wears a tunic and styles
her hair in braids.
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This ancestral union occurs in order to ensure the rebirth of the sun,
and the renewal of the life of the community.
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In this scene, reproductive sexual union between men and women in this
world is presaged by the original ancestral union.
- Drawing caption:
- Ulluchu fruits
- Tomb guardian with a mutilated foot
- Tomb protected by inhabitants of the underworld
- Harvesting monkeys
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Tree of life with ceremonial and medicinal ulluchu and Nectandra
fruits, and harvesting monkeys
- Sexual union between Ai Apaec and Pachamama
- Two-headed serpent representing the celestial vault
- Wave motifs
- Llama used as a pack animal
- Woman holding a child
- Figure with a double-plumed headdress, carrying a bag
- Bowl offering
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See also
Sources
Location
