Huacas de Moche Museum, La Libertad, Peru

The Huacas de Moche Museum, also known as the Santiago Uceda Castillo Museum, is a museum located in the department of La Libertad, Peru.

The Santiago Uceda Castillo Museum is a space dedicated to culture and is made up of four main elements: (1) the exhibition halls, (2) the communal area, (3) the research center and (4) the theater.

Entrance to the museum
This cultural space is not only a site museum for the exhibition of objects found in archaeological excavations, but also a community research and development center.

Figures for photos in traditional costumes
BThe figures are dressed in traditional costumes and behind them we can see Cerro Blanco.

The depiction of nature
In Moche art it is possible to identify painted landscapes wich are clearly those of marine, desert, river or lake environments. In addition, animals from the sea, land or air are modeled or painted with great attention to detail. Plants and animals are represented not only because they form part of the Moche people's surroundings, but also because they possess particular characteristics and attributes which define them and give them their own symbolic significance, as in the case of the San Pedro cactus, the sacred plant used by priests.

The dominant animals of the differert worlds, such as birds of prey, big cats and reptiles, were deified. Those animals encountered at the limits of different worlds - between the desert and the dry forests in the case of foxes, the coast in the case of seabirds, and on rocky shores and islets in the case of crabs - are common in Moche art. These species are depicted in a realistic manner, as well as in their anthropomorphized or supernatural versions.

Urban specialists and ritual objects
In the bustling city of Moche urban specialists resided who were entrusted with a number of activities. Some of them were architects and engineers, while others were distinguished painters. Other residents included the highly-skilled pottery workers who made beautiful ceramics, as well as skilled metalworkers and gold and silversmiths. Expert weavers and the best cooks and chicha [corn beer] makers also resided in the city, as did the strong porters responsible for bringing materials and other objects from faraway places to the city.

Moche art depicts some of the activitles that were directly related to ritual practices, such as the making of clothing for the great lords or priests and the transporting of funerary offerings.

The ornaments of the priest-lords
For a long time priests were the leaders of Moche society. They organized life in the city and the work of the craftspeople. In some ceremonies or rituals, these priests would represent the principal Moche gods and behave like them.

They would dress in special clothing, cover their faces with masks and place adornments on their heads.
These adornments represented big cats such as the jaquar and ocelot, birds like the condor or eagle, and reptiles, including snakes and iguanas.
Their chests were covered with necklaces and breastplates made from semiprecious stones and shells, and they wore bracelets on their wrists.
Fine nose ornaments hung from their noses and the lobes of their ears were pierced to accommodate large ear ornaments made from gold or other materials which were inlaid and decorated with complex iconography.

The principal deity
The principal god of the Moche pantheon is depicted with a frown and wrinkles, while his mouth displays feline teeth.

He wears serpent ear ornaments and a belt which ends in the heads of condors or serpents.
This sculptural ceramic bottle representing the head of the deity was found in Tomb 4 of the Uhle Platform.

Ritual combat
Ritual combat marked the beginning of the most important sequence of ceremonial events in Moche culture. This sequence began with combat between lavishly dressed warriors who faced each other with clubs and maces. The objective of this hand to hand fighting was to select the victims for subsequent human sacrifices. Moche iconography shows how this combat took place in desert areas, for in the painted scenes which decorate pottery sand dunes and cacti can be seen in the surrounding landscape.

The combat ended when one of the warriors was able to remove his opponent's helmet and grab him by the hair. The defeated warriors were then stripped. The clothing and weapons on the vanquished were carried in a bundle which the victorious warriors would hang from their clubs.
The procession of victorious and defeated combatants was the climax of the first stage of the ceremonial sequence, and it probably took place in the great ceremonial plaza of the Huaca de la Luna. The sequence would continue with the preparation of the captive warriors fot their sacrifice.

Combat weapons

Left: Anthropomorphic club. Moche ceramic bottle. Tomb 2, tourist inn, urban center.
Center: Helmet with serpents. Moche ceramic bottle. Uhle Platform, Huaca de le Luna.
Right: Mace and shield. Moche ceramic bottle. Urban center.

Warriors

Left: Watchtower warrior. Moche ceramic bottle. Tomb 24, Uhle Platform, Huaca de le Luna.
Center: Combat between humans and supernatural beings. Moche ceramic bowl with open walls. Uhle Platform, Huaca de le Luna.
Right: Warrior. Moche ceramic bottle. Tomb 2, Plaza 3C, Huaca de la Luna.

The sea lion hunt
In tombs excavated at the Huaca de la Luna pottery items depicting sea lions have been found. In Moche iconography we can see scenes representing the hunting of sea lions. In these scenes altars or small temples can be distinguished which were probably located on the islands where sea lions hunts took place.

Sea lions behave in a particular way during times of environmental changes such as those caused by the El Niño phenomenon. On these occasions, sea lions fiercely attack the nets of fishermen in search of food, which is less abundant as a result of an increase in ocean temperatures. The sea lions therefore become an enemy of the fishermen and they must be defeated in order to appease the divine fury of the gods. In this way the sea lion hunt would have been associated with ritual combat. The hunters would carry maces similar to those used during ritual battles and the sacrifice ceremonies.

Ritual races
A number of ritual races have been depicted in Moche art. In some races the participants carry in their hands bags containing lima beans, together with sticks or thin reeds, which were presented to the gods at the end of the competition. These races probably formed part of the initiation ceremonies which marked the passage from adolescence to adulthood. Young men would compete in these races to demonstrate their skill, strength and physical stamina. In Moche iconography we can see how these young men wore elaborate headdresses decorated at the front with large discs or trapezoidal plaques. In the urban zone of the archaeological complex a number of tombs of individuals have been found containing copper discs similar to those worn by the runners.

In other racing scenes, the participants do not carry sticks or bags of beans, and their headdresses are similar to those worn by warriors. These races are not competitions and they do not form part of the initiation rites, but are instead associated with ritual combat.

The sacrifice ceremony

Clubs were the weapons used by warriors in ritual combat. Some Moche altars associated with the sacrifices that were performed after combat were decorated with ceramic club heads.
The ritual combat culminated in the offering of the blood of the defeated warriors to the principal gods of the Moche pantheon.
The step motifs which appear in ritual and mythological scenes depicted in Moche art serve to link the world of mankind with the upper world iahabited by the gods.
The defeated warriors were presented as the vessels containing the blood which would be offered to their gods.
The priests who performed the sacrifices of the captive warriors were represented as anthropomorphic feline creatures and foxes.

The deer hunt
One of the ceremonial activities most frequently depicted in Moche art is the "Deer Hunt”. The hunting of agile white-tailed deer, a native species of Peru's northern coast, was depicted in the fine line drawings or relief scenes used to decorate pottery.

The hunters are Moche lords dressed in very elaborate headdresses, adorned with feathers and metal, large ear ornaments and breastplates. They carry clubs, lances, darts and spear-throwers, and they use nets to trap the deer before its eventual capture.
The clothing worn by these noble hunters is very similar to that used by Moche warriors. The deer, in its anthropomorphized version, is depicted in Moche art as a warrior prepared for combat, defeat or captivity. For this reason, some researchers believe that ritual combat and the ceremonial hunting of deer were symbolically associated. The objective during both ritual combat and deer hunting would have been to capture the opponent for sacriliea.

The ceremonies
At the Huaca de la Luna the most important rites associated with Moche religion were performed. The ritual calendar was intimately related to the development of agricultural activity throughout the year. It was necessary to perform ceremonies in order to establish and ensure both political and cosmic order. However, events occurred which broke or disturbed this order, such as the climatic variations caused by the El Niño phenomenon, or a powerful earthquake. In these circumstances rites, offerings and sacrifices of different kinds were required to calm the anger of the gods. If these petitions were answered, then it would be necessary to thank the principal divinity. For the Moche, the best way to do this was to offer the blood and lives of their own people.

At the Huaca de la Luna evidence has been found of a series of ceremonies which probably constituted the focal point of Moche religion, and which culminated with the Sacrifice Ceremony. This ceremonial sequence began with the ritual combat which would decide who would be offered in sacrifice. This was followed by a procession of the victorious and defeated warriors. The defeated warriors were presented as prisoners; stripped of their clothing and weapons they were led naked to the high priests. The captives were then prepared and instructed through the preparation and making of offerings. Subsequently, they were sacrificed and their blood was extracted. This process culminated with the presentation of a cup containing the blood of the sacrificed to the principal gods, together with an act of fertilization. This ritual was not attended by the nasses, and it was performed in areas of the temple to which access was restricted.

Procession of warriors with ceremonial attire and weapons
Tomb 44. Plaza 2B, Huaca de la Luna.

Step 1 of the main facade.

Procession of victorious and defeated warriors after ritual combat
Tomb 19. Plaza 2B, Huaca de la Luna.

Step 1 of the main facade.

Predatory spider with trophy head
Tomb 22. Plaza 2B, Huaca de la Luna.

Step 3 of the main facade.

Feline deity with fish offerings
Tomb 2. Platform II, Huaca de la Luna.

Step 4 of the main facade.

Two-headed feline-iguana deity holding a trophy head
Tomb 7, Architectural complex 35, Urban center.

Step 5 of the main facade.

Reliefs in the principal facade of the Main Temple
In the many steps of the facade of the Main Temple, at the foot of the large ceremonial patio, polychrome mud reliefs were produced depicting motifs and scenes associated with ritual combat and human sacrifices. It is likely that mass rituats were performed in this area.

The iconography also seen on the facades of the earlier buildings, following the same architectural pattern, distributes individuals arranged from the bottom to the top of the steps, with the aim of locating the principal deity at the highest part of the facade.
Other areas of the temple, such as the patios located in the upper part of the main platform, or the walls adjacent to the Main Altar, were also lavishly decorated.
In pieces of pottery found during a number of excavations at the Huaca de la Luna, the same motifs seen in these reliefs can be distinguished.

The sacrifice priest

The temples is the mountain
Moche pottery often features depictions of hills inhabited by deities and mythological beings.

This pottery bottle is decorated with the figure of a monkey, and in the lower part a small figure of the main deity can be seen, incorporated into a mountain.

The evidence of sacrifices
The discoveries at the Huaca de la Luna have shown that the Moche practiced two forms of human sacrifice: one which was related to the presence of some kind of El Niño event; and another associated with regular climatic conditions. The former ritual was probably intended to restore order, while the latter was meant to maintain order.

In each case, the treatment of the bodies of the dead was different. The marks found on the bones of those who were sacrificed during periods of intense rainfall indicate that they suffered blows to the head administered with clubs; some had their throats cut, while others were cut into pieces. Finally, their bodies were left exposed on the mud formed by the rains.
The bones of those who were sacrificed at other times show signs of having had their throats cut, after which their flesh was stripped from their bones. In this case, the bodies were placed in graves near the site where the sacrifices took place. A number of bones show signs of cuts and blows. In-depth analysis of this evidence has given us an understanding of the details of the ceremonies surrounding the practice of human sacrifice in Moche society.

Moche shaman
Tomb 10, Platform I.

This tomb was excavated in 1997 in the eastern sector of the main platform of the Huaca de la Luna. The tomb had already been sacked and only fragments of bone belonging to an adult were found.
In the disturbed landfill pieces of pottery from Moche IV were found. One of them is a bell-shaped cup, the inner walls of which have been painted with serpents with feline heads. The sculptural bottle depicts a priest sitting with his legs crossed and wearing a headdress with lateral appendages, ear ornaments and a necklace made from inlaid shells and natural slate. In one hand he is holding an object, similar to one used by modern shamans in the Northern Coast of Peru.

Moche reburial
Tomb 3-4, Platform I.

This tomb was built in a landfill during the final phase of the construction of the Huaca de la Luna. When this tomb was excavated in 1993, the skeleton of a buried man was found who had been between 40 and 45 years old when he died. The skeleton was not articulated, and this fact would seem to indicate that during the Moche period the already fully decomposed body was disinterred from its initial place of rest and reburied in this tomb, thereby producing the disordering of the bones. The deceased may have been a priest or important leader during the earlier stages of Moche society, who had to be reburied at this site. This interpretation is reinforced by the fact that the main ceramic offerings found belong to an earlier pottery style associated with the previous phases of the construction of the temple.
In this tomb pieces of pottery were arranged in pairs, including pitchers representing lizards and others representing individuals who officiated at ceremonies. This pattern in the arrangement of the funerary offerings is related to the concept of duality that lay behind the organization of Moche religion and their beliefs regarding life after death. One of the pottery artifacts represents the head of a seal; according to Moche beliefs, the hunting of this animal can be seen as a counterpart to the ritual combat leading to human sacrifice.

Moche warrior-priest
Tomb 1, Platform I.

This tomb, discovered in 1991 on the main platform of the Huaca de la Luna, was the burial place of an officiating priest of the Moche religious cult who probably held a mid-level rank and who had warrior functions. He was between 20 and 35 years-old when he died. He was a tall individual for the standards of the time (168 cm, 5.5 ft). He suffered fractures to some of the bones of his right foot and his collarbones indicate that he may have suffered from acute tuberculosis. His death may have been caused by this chronic disease.
Funerary offerings composed of ten pottery items were arranged inside and around his coffin. Of these, two sculptural bottles are of a particularly high quality, and they depict a warrior and a musician. The warrior is wearing a headdress composed of two elements in the shape of club heads and he is carrying a shield and club. The musician is a flautist and he is wearing a necklace, ear ornaments and bracelets, adornments which indicate that he enjoyed a certain rank within the social hierarchy. The details of his adornments are made from inlaid natural slate.

The lord of the prisoners
Tomb 4, Uhle Platform.

This chamber tomb with niches was excavated in 2000 on the Uhle Platform, to the west of the main platform of the Huaca de la Luna. A man aged between 35 and 45 was buried in this tomb. The tomb was partially disturbed in ancient times, apparently as part of a Moche ritual. The cranium was removed, together with one of the individual's upper limbs when the body was already partially decomposed.
The funerary offering was composed of fired and unfired pottery vessels pieces. There are several pairs of pieces which share the same theme, including those which represent prisoners, feline heads, scenes depicting the dance of the dead and a larger series of identical pitchers. The depicted themes are related to the capture of prisoners. Necklaces and beads were also found, together with a fragment of animal bone carved with the figure of a Moche warrior, surrounded by clubs.

Blind man with tattoos
This fine sculptural bottle formed part of the funerary offerings of Tomb 32 of Patio 2, excavated in the southeastern sector of the Huaca de la Luna. It represents a priest sitting in an attitude of prayer. The body of the man is covered by a painted red tunic and he is wearing a necklace made from plaques. He is clasping his hands together in front of him. The head is covered with a headdress decorated with S-shaped designs and an adornment in the form of the head of a club. His face is covered with incised designs of felines, an iguana, birds, foxes and fish; a vulva and a phallus can be seen below his jaw.

Ancestors
The Moche believed in an “underground world” which was inhabited by their deceased after they had left this life and passed through the process of death. The dead are depicted interacting with the living, and also in ceremonies, in which they can be seen dancing and playing musical instruments.

Some of the dead would have been carefully and rigorously prepared and treated in accordance with certain rituals in order to ensure their conversion into “ancestors”. These individuals were usually great lords who because they had fulfilled important roles in life would occupy a special place in the next world. In order to propitiate this transformation, complex funerary rites were practiced.

Body artifact representing feline
Platform I, Huaca de la Luna.

The blind priest
Tomb 32, Plaza 2B.

This tomb was excavated in 2000 to the southeast of the Huaca de la Luna. It was a shaft tomb and it had four niches, of which three had been affected by sacking and only one was discovered intact.
The tomb belongs to the earty phases of Mocke culture. It contained fragments of metal and pottery vessets, among which stirrup handle bottles, pitchers and bowls were found. Two of the bottles are notable: one represents a man that carries offerings, and the other a blind priest with scars. Among the pieces of pottery found in this tomb there is frequent use of the stepped iconographic motif, accomparied by the scroll design.

The Moche weaver
Tomb 8, Platform I.

This tomb was excavated in 1995, in the central sector of the main platform of the Huaca de la Luna. This chamber tomb was built using mud bricks to line the structure. The reed coffin placed in the interior of the tomb contained an adult woman of between 50 and 60 years of age who was approximately 155 cm (5 ft) tall.
Metal plaques were placed on her head, hands and feet. Her funerary offerings included gourds containing the remains of camelids, and pottery vessels. In addition, spindle-whorls were found, all of which were painted black and decorated with cream-colored painted incisions.

Chimu adornments
Around the year 800 CE, after the crisis experienced among the Moche priesthood and the subsequent decline in the political power of the ruling elite, the city and the temple were abandoned.

Several hundred years later, Chimu lords and priests were buried at the Huaca de la Luna, for the site had not lost its sacred character.
In some of these important tombs Spondylus shell bracelets and breastplates were found, as well as ceremonial cups and models depicting the funerary processions and ceremonies of the Chimu lords.

Chimu ceremonial scenes
These sculpted scenes made from wood and reed were found in Chimu tombs excavated in 1995 in the landfill that once covered the Old Temple of the Huaca de la Luna. These tombs had already been sacked during the colonial period by those in search of precious metals.

Together wit fragments of textiles, seeds, seashells and feathers, a beautiful litter made from copper and reeds and covered with cotton was discovered. In addition, rxcavations unearthed a wooden architectural model of a ceremonial plaza, with 26 figures and 5 reed platforms covered with cloth, with figures carved from wood inlaid with seashells depicting a funeral procession, human sacrifices and the presentation of offerings.

Ornaments of ceremonial clothing
A number of objects made from gold were found in the basket offering discovered on the main platform of the Huaca de la Luna. These objects were part of the ceremonial clothing worn by the great lords who presided over the ceremonies that were held in the temple complex.

Some of these metal ornaments are the step designs and feather crests which adorned the headdresses worn by Moche lords and priests. The gold discs were sawn to the helmets of warriors. They represented ear ornaments, which were some of the most important ceremonial adornments, for they indicated the status and role of the wearer within the Moche hierarchy. These discs are decorated with iconographic motifs that can also be seen in the friezes and murals of the Huaca de la Luna, such as the serpent and warrior.
Moche lords and priests would decorate themselves with ornaments made from gold, silver, gilded copper and silvered copper. In this way they presented themselves before the rest of the population as supernatural beings, gleaming like the sun, moon and stars. To achieve this effect, different shaped metal plaques featuring a variety of designs were sewn onto their shirts and tunics.
On the main platform of the Huaca de la Luna an offering was found which consisted of a basket containing textiles and repoussé gold sheets. Several of this metal objects were flaps which were sewn onto clothing and would have emitted jingling sounds when the wearer moved.

Coca leaf ceremony
This scene depicting the chewing of coca leaves is illustrating one of the most important Moche ceremonies. Coca seeds have been found in Patio 2 of the Huaca de la Luna. It is likely that this open area was used for the consumption of coca leafs in acts which would have been related to the propitiatory and premonitory rites designed to ensure fertility and an abundant supply of water.

The Mochce priests are gathered under an archway formed by a two-headed serpent. They are sitting and they are carrying bags containing coca leafs. They are also holding containers used to hold the lime which they mixed with the coca in order to accelerate the biochemical reaction when the leaves were chewed. In the ritual scene painted on a piece of pottery, the large dark circles represent heavy rainfall.
The gold lime holder was found in Tomb 2 of the main platform, indicating that the individual buried in that tomb may have been one of the priests who participated in the coca leaf ceremony.

Coca leaf chewers
These sculptural pottery faces have been interpreted as priests chewing coca leaves. The commonly shared characteristic of these pieces is their prominent cheeks. This is a typical characteristic of those persons who chew coca leaves and store the coca in their cheek while the leaves release the alkaloids they contain with the help of small quantities of lime ingested as a catalyst.

These pieces may depict priests who ingested substances that enabled them to enter into a trance-like state and acquire the power of experiencing visions and making contact with the celestial world and the world of the dead. Three of these pieces are stirrup handle bottles, while one is a sculptural vessel and another is a perfectly anatomical mask which may have been used in ceremonies associated with the chewing of coca leaves.

Serpents
The serpent is an animal which moves through different worlds and enables communication between them.

In pre-Columbian art the two-headed serpent with feline features has also been interpreted as the arch which supports the Milky Way.
The attributes of felines and foxes, together with those of a bird of prey, are combined in some hybrid beings based on the body of a serpent.
The frequent depiction of the serpent may be explained as the symbol of rivers, fertility and water.
In Quechua this gigantic serpent with feline features which moved through different worlds was known as amaru.

Simple bottle with side handle, globular body and annular base
Period: Early Intermediate.

Reduction cooking vessel. The neck has cream-colored paint. The handle is painted dark red. 3/4 of the body is covered by a layer of cream paint. The rest of the body and the entire base have been painted dark red.
It has "repair" at the handle-neck joint. In the cream area of the body there is a scene of two anthropomorphic characters standing, they are facing each other. Each character wears a half-moon-shaped headdress with a plume and feathers, from the same headdress parallel bands emerge like braids, decorated with triangles and horizontal lines. They have paint on their face, hands and feet.

The sacred mountain
Cerro Blanco, also known as Alec Pong, or "sacred stone", dominates the landscape around the complex with its magestic and imposing pyramidal form. This natural landmark was considered a protector god by the Moche. It was in relation to this hill and the Moche river which connected them with the sea that the urban space of this society was organized. The mountain was a god, and it was from this tectonic force that water emerged and flowed. This identity with which the mountain was attributed can be seen clearly in a number of objects: the Decapitator God is also the God of the Mountains and one of his essential attributes is the serpent form, symbolizing the river.

God of the mountains
Moche ceramic jug. Tomb 17, Platform I, Huaca de la Luna.

God of the mountains
Moche ceramic bottle. Tomb 10, Architectural complex 35, Urban center.

God of the mountains
Moche ceramic jug. Tomb 17, Platform I, Huaca de la Luna.

Chimu offerings with Wari influence
After the collapse of the Moche state, the city and the Huaca de la Luna were abandoned. However, during the Chimu period some parts of the architectural complex were reused. In the urban nucleus, the ground was leveled and used for growing crops. At the Huaca de la Luna altars were built, offerings were made and high-ranking individuals were buried, all of which indicates that this important Moche temple retained its sacred character in spite of the passage of time.

This pieces form part of the offerings found in a Chimu burial located in the main plaza of the Huaca de la Luna. The style and decoration of these pieces correspond to the early Chimu period, with clear Wari influence.

Statues of the sacrificed
On the ceremonial platform adjacent to Platform II, 70 bodies of sacrificed warriors were found.

Together with this remains, almost 50 clay statues depicting naked prisioners with ropes tied around their necks were discovered. These statues are approximately 60 cm (24 in) tall, and they represent captive warriors. Their bodies are decorated with complex designs. On one of their faces motifs can be seen which have been interpreted as the chrysalises of the insects that appear on decomposing bodies.
According to Andean religious beliefs part of the essence of the dead takes the form of flies after death.

Ceremonial knives
Tumis, or ceremonial knives, were used during sacrifices.

The Moche world
At first sight it may appear that Moche artists depicted their surroundings in a naturalistic manner in their murals, friezes, pottery and objects made from metal, wood or bone. However, for the Moche these art objects were a means of communication and an expression of their world view and religious beliefs.

In the Moche world humans coexisted with the dead and the gods. In their art they represented these relationships and interactions in great detail. In the ocean, for example, there lived marine demons as well as fish. Both human beings and the gods fished in these waters and faced monsters and divine creatures.
The Moche people’s fields provided harvests because the gods had fertilized the earth and because irrigation was practiced in accordance with the demands of certain rituals.

Priest with fangs
Moche ceramic bottle. Tomb 19, Plaza 28, Huaca de la Luna.

Ai Apaec in sexual intercorse with woman
Moche ceramic jug. Urban center.

Sea deity fishing
Moche ceramic bottle. Tomb 8, Uhle platform, Huaca de la Luna.

Ai Apaec capturing a bird
Moche ceramic jug. Tomb 10, Architectural complex 35, Urban center.

Sea demon with decapitated heads
Moche ceramic bottle. Tomb 8, Platform I, Huaca de la Luna.

Combat between Ai Apaec and deer
Moche ceramic bottle. Tomb 10, Architectural complex 35, Urban center.

Model with scene of ritual combat
This is a clay architectural model depicting a ceremonial space composed of a rectangular area surrounded by three walls.

The two side walls end in a stepped design.
The floor of the interior is painted red and subdivided into two symmetrical spaces by a cream-colored band.
On each interior wall there is a kind of basin or container.
The exterior walls are decorated with scenes of ritual combat and the taking of prisioners.
This model was found on the lands of Mr. Teodoro Rosales Honorio, in the Chanquin Alto sector of the Moche countryside. Local people call this place Huaca Tampoy, after a temple site that was destroyed by the effects of the 1925 El Niño phenomenon.

Tombs of the urban zone
The tombs of individuals who were probably mid-ranking members of Mocha society have been found in the architectural complexes of the urban zone.

All of the pieces of pottery that formed part of the funerary offerings discovered were clearly associated with Moche religious beliefs and ritual practices related to those beliefs.
These include: recipients used when eating ritual foods; representations of nonkeys, an animal with a resemblance to cadaverous human bodies which was also symbolically associated with warm and hunid forest regions; mutilated or dead individuals; and the shamans or priests who presided over different ceremonies, such as the preparation of bodies for burial.