Larco Museum - Cultures of Ancient Peru

The Larco Museum (officially known as Rafael Larco Herrera Archaeological Museum, in Spanish: Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera) is a privately owned museum of pre-Columbian art, located in the Pueblo Libre District of Lima, Peru.

The Museo Larco was established in 1926 by Rafael Larco Hoyle, a pioneer of Peruvian archaeology, and it houses a fascinating collection of pre-Columbian art composed of around 45,000 objects.

Situated in an 18th century viceroyalty mansion and surrounded by beautiful gardens, the Museo Larco is a space that stimulates and inspires, where it is possible to enjoy and learn more about the fascinating history of ancient Peru.

Entrance to the Larco Museum
The museum is housed in an 18th-century vice-royal building.

It showcases chronological galleries that provide a thorough overview of 5,000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history.

Pacopampa Feline
Stone sculpture. Highlands of northern Peru. Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE).

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

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

Tenon Heads
Stone Sculptures. Highlands of northern Peru. Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CED).

“Tenon heads” are stone carvings of heads that were inserted into the walls of ancient Peruvian temples. These sculptures depicted the sacred animals of pre-Columbian Peru: the heads of felines, serpents and birds. The bird symbolized the celestial world of the skies; the feline represented earthly power; while reptiles and snakes were associated with the underworld. Human heads were also depicted, probably to invoke the ancestors of a community’s shared bloodline.
Temples functioned as a bridge with the celestial world inhabited by deities. The architecture of such structures was sacred; the walls were transformed using paintings and sculpture, with the decoration featuring the faces of gods, ancestors and sacred animals.
The heads ML301179 and ML300026 come from the temple of Chavín de Huántar, in Peru’s northern highlands, one of the major temples of the Formative epoch, around 3000 years ago. One of the heads depicts a reptile with feline features, while the other evokes a wrinkled human face, with dilated nostrils and staring eyes. This latter head was probably that of a high priest being transformed during a “shamanic trip” brought about through the consumption of psychotropic substances, as a way of making contact with worlds beyond the earthly realm.
During the early years of Peru’s viceroyalty period, some chroniclers wrote about the temple at Chavín de Huántar. Antonio Vázques de Espinoza, in the “Compendium and Description of the Western Indies”, from 1620, tells us: “Next to this village of Chabin there is a great building of finely worked stone of notable grandeur; it was among the most famous Guacas or Shrines of the heathens, like our own Rome or Jerusalem, where Indians came to make offerings and sacrifices”.

Pacopampa Stone Mortars
Stone. Highlands of northern Peru. Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE).

These stone mortars, found at Pacopampa, Cajamarca, represent the fusion of the three sacred animals of ancient Peru: the bird, the feline and the serpent.

Cupisnique
Ceramic. Peruvian Northern Coast. Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE).

The Cupisnique culture, discovered by Rafael Larco in 1930, developed during the Formative Epoch, three thousand years ago. During this period the first temples emerged. Artisans produced objects loaded with religious content which were used in ceremonies and as funerary offerings.
The Cupisnique people modeled their pottery and then fired it in wood-burning kilns which produced a lot of smoke, giving the ceramics their dark color. Decoration was produced through the incision technique. The most characteristic element is the stirrup handle. They produced sculptured vessels shaped like animals, fruits, human heads and houses.

Cupisnique Sacred Animals
Ceramic. Peruvian Northern Coast. Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE).

The bird of the heavens, the feline from Earth and the serpent with its access to the subterranean world were the three sacred animals of ancient Peru.
These days our survival depends to a large degree on what we are able to purchase. We are far-removed from direct agricultural production. Societies were not always like this. The first sedentary and agricultural societies faced the challenge of making the land productive and thereby feed their growing populations.
The societies of ancient Peru maintained themselves through agriculture. Their primary concern was to ensure that the cycles of nature would be repeated without any major changes. The following conditions were of great importance: that the climate was favorable and water arrived at the right time and in sufficient quantity; that the land was fertile; that people worked in an organized manner.
The universe was composed of: the sky, where the rains came from; the land which had to be worked; the subterranean world, where the fruits of the earth came from and where the dead went to.

The Cupisnique Anthropomorphic Feline
Ceramic bottle. Peruvian Northern Coast. Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE).

The anthropomorphizing of the feline in pre-Columbian art marks a key moment in the development of these cultures. The religions of the Formative Epoch created gods in human form but with the supernatural powers of the feline.
On Earth, the supreme leaders assume the power of the feline. The great religious, political and economic power they accumulated enabled the development of more efficient production methods. The faces of these figures are a combination of human features and those of the feline, such as teeth, whiskers and almond-shaped eyes.

Viru
Ceramic. Peruvian Northern Coast. Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE).

This culture was discovered by Rafael Larco Hoyle in 1933 in the Virú Valley, in the department of La Libertad.
In their ceramics the negative decoration technique dominated. The red designs were covered with very fine clay, while the parts that were left uncovered darkened during firing. The covered parts did not darken, and this created the negative painting effect.
Here we see a serpent with two feline heads and a bird perched on it; the feline with the face of an owl on its breast; and a four-legged bird. All of these hybrid creatures are a combination of the bird, the feline and the serpent. These hybrid creatures represent the union of the powers of the sky, earth and underworld. This union reflects the growing power of the rulers.

The Union of the Feline, Bird and Serpent
Sculptural Viru Pitcher. Peruvian Northern Coast. Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE).

Pre-Columbian art features a being which is the result of a combination of the physical and supernatural characteristics of the feline, the serpent and the bird. This mythological being combines the strengths of the three worlds and is represented by multiple combinations, for example the head of a bird, paws of a feline and body of a serpent.
It is a powerful god which responds to the new problems that emerge in a more numerous society. To face more serious problems greater powers are needed, like those possessed by this new hybrid god.
Towards the end of the Formative Epoch, we can see this process in the Virú, Salinar and Vicús cultures in the north and in Paracas in the south.

Pacopampa Stele
Stone sculpture. Highlands of northern Peru. Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE).

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

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

The Man with Feline, Bird and Serpent Features (Anthropomorphized)
Sculptural Viru Pitcher. Peruvian Northern Coast. Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE).

This mythological figure, the union of feline-bird-serpent, adopts a human form. This joining of the powers of the three worlds creates an extremely powerful anthropomorphized being.
In the ancient cultures of Peru the supreme leaders held political, social and religious power. They adopted as their own the sacred symbols and they identified with the gods. They therefore assumed the character of an anthropomorphized feline with the features of a bird and serpent.

Salinar
Ceramic. Peruvian Northern Coast. Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE).

This culture was discovered by Rafael Larco Hoyle in 1941 in the valley of the Chacama River in the department of La Libertad. The ceramics were fired in kilns in which the oxygen oxidized the clay, giving them a brick-red color. They were then painted with white lines. This “white on red” decorative technique endured until the end of the Formative Epoch.
Among the sculptural pieces we see again the feline, the serpent and the owl. The cult of the dead was very important, as can be seen in this sculptural scene depicting a body prior to burial.

Vicus
Ceramic bottle. Peruvian Northern Coast. Formative Epoch (1250 BCE – 1 CE).

The Vicus culture developed in the department of Piura in the far north of Peru. This region functioned as a cultural frontier between the areas now occupied by Ecuador and Peru, and the artistic characteristics of both regions can be seen in Vicus art.
Ceramics were decorated using both the negative and positive painting techniques. The individuals represented have so-called “coffee bean eyes”. This double-chambered sculptural vessel decorated with the negative painting technique represents a nude male with a painted body. He is wearing a metal crown with flaps like the one that can be seen in the Gold Room of the Larco Museum. He is also wearing very large ear plugs – an indication of high rank – and a necklace made from beads shaped like human faces.

Mochica Sculptural Ceramics
Ceramic bottles. Peruvian Northern Coast. Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).

In contrast with contemporary art, which is freely produced by individual artists, in the past artistic production was controlled by the elite. Under the supervision of priests and great lords, Mochica pottery makers achieved a high degree of artistic development. They produced naturalistic sculptures and drew scenes on the surfaces of their pottery using the so-called “fine line” technique.
Just as today in the Christian faith the symbol of the cross evokes the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, in Mochica art an image of a knife (or tumi) evoked ceremonial sacrifice. Both the Christian cross and the tumi of the Mochica are single elements which form part of a much larger narrative tradition.
Artists gave form to their beliefs, myths and ceremonies. Each object and representation can only be fully understood if we see them within the context of the entire artistic universe from which they emerged. To understand what these objects mean, it is necessary to interpret the pottery and images (iconography) as part of the culture’s myths and ceremonies.
A finely-wrought representation of an animal may appear to us as a beautiful naturalistic sculpture. However, this animal was considered a god and it appears in drawings in its anthropomorphic form. The sculptural representation of an individual may have formed part of a highly detailed pictorial scene, perhaps a ceremony represented in its entirety in another piece.
The majority of Mochica ceramics were placed in tombs as part of the culture’s cult of the dead. Their messages and symbolism were carried to “the next world” in the same way as the “Book of the Dead” of the ancient Egyptians.

Owl God
Pottery vessel. Peruvian Northern Coast. Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).

An anthropomorphic owl dressed as a warrior and standing under an arch formed by a serpent with two feline heads. This is one of the principal gods of Mochica culture and it is associated with the night, the occult and death.

Mochica Fine Line Pottery
Ceramic bottles. Peruvian Northern Coast. Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).

Like all agricultural societies, ancient Peruvians were fundamentally concerned with the acquiring of knowledge regarding the cycles of nature. They knew that in nature there exist cycles, such as those marked by the returning of the seasons. They believed that in the same way we humans are born, live, die and pass on to the subterranean world, from where all life is reborn.
The world is animated by opposing forces which at the same time are also complementary. At the center of the Andean world view is the concept of DUALITY. In Quechua, the concept of complementary duality is known as TINKUY, and it is similar to the concept of YIN-YANG in eastern philosophy, which has its origin in the religion of ancient agricultural societies.
The cycles of nature are possible because the forces which animate the world are in constant movement. This dynamic is represented by the SPIRAL symbol.
The Andean world is divided into three planes, or worlds: the world above, or HANAN PACHA, which is inhabited by the gods, the earthly world, or KAY PACHA, where human beings and animals live, and the underworld, or UKU PACHA, where the dead dwell. These three planes are represented by the STEPPED symbol and the scroll in the upper part symbolizes the dynamic between these worlds.
In the earthly world human beings perform rituals to ensure that the forces of the world above and those of the underworld will meet. The Mochica embodied their principal religious concepts and myths in their pottery, and they also depicted their rituals in great detail using the technique known as “fine line”.

The Journeys of Ai Apaec
Pottery rattle vessel. Mochica, northern coast of Peru. Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).

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

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

Mochica Phases
Ceramic. Peruvian Northern Coast. Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).

Rafael Larco defined five phases of Mochica ceramics by taking into consideration variations in the designs of stirrup spout bottles. This approach, developed by Rafael Larco Hoyle in 1946, is still employed in modern archaeology.
The evolution of the shape of the handle and spout, the rim of the spout, the relationship between the main body of the vessel and the stirrup spout, the type of paint used and the details of the sculpture are some of the variables which contribute to the defining of the sequence of five phases proposed by Rafael Larco. This sequence is supported by the stratigraphic position of the tombs in which they were found.

Northern Huari
Ceramic. Peruvian Northern Coast. Fusion Epoch (800 CE – 1300 CE).

The influence of Huari art from southern Peru introduced new traits into the pottery art of the north, such as the presence of more colors and double spout and bridge vessels.
Huari art is characterized by geometric motifs outlined in black. It is common to find representations of humans and religious motifs.
The feline deity is represented wearing a belt in the form of a two-headed serpent, serpent ear plugs and wings.

Lambayeque
Ceramic. Peruvian Northern Coast. Fusion Epoch (800 CE – 1300 CE).

In Lambayeque pottery there is a continuation of the sculptural tradition of the north. The double spout and bridge handle forms of the vessels come from the southern pottery tradition.
These ceramics feature a figure with wing-shaped eyes, pointed ears with large ear plugs and a half-moon headdress. This individual would have been conceived as a representation of the mythical heroic founder of the ruling dynasty, known as Naylamp, who was deified. He appears accompanied by other lesser figures.
The great lords of the kingdom of Lambayeque were buried wearing metal masks in the likeness of this deity.

Chimu
Ceramic. Peruvian Northern Coast. Imperial Epoch (1300 CE – 1532 CE).

In Chimu ceramics we can detect a revival of the northern tradition after a 300 hundred year period of southern artistic influence. Stirrup-spout vessels once again became the dominant form. In the area between the spout and the handle of these pieces there is a small representation of a monkey. In common with the traditions of Mochica art, sculptural ceramics once again assumed a major role.
The Chimu elite chose black ceramics over markedly southern forms such as polychrome designs and the use of the double spout bridge-handled vessel.
Chimu ceramics were made using molds and pieces were mass-produced.
While two thousand years earlier the feline had been represented as a powerful figure vanquishing the deer, in Chimu art a human was represented carrying a deer on his shoulders, thereby transmitting a message related to the humanizing of power.

Inca
Ceramic. Peruvian Northern Coast. Imperial Epoch (1300 CE – 1532 CE).

One of the characteristic forms of Inca pottery is the urpu, or aryballos. This vessel has a spherical or globular body and side handles. The spouts of these vessels end in an elongated and flattened lip. Another typical element is the application of a small feline head on the front of the vessel.
In Inca art the majority of the ceramics produced were pacchas – ceremonial vessels associated with the worship of water.
A lot of color was employed in the decoration, in keeping with the style of the southern tradition.

Chimu Inca
Ceramic. Peruvian Northern Coast. Imperial Epoch (1300 CE – 1532 CE).

At the time of the arrival of the Spanish on Peru’s northern coast this type of pottery was produced by the Chimu under Inca rule.
In this pottery we can see features of the cultural traditions of the north and south. The sculptural element of the north is maintained, together with the design in the space between the spout and the handle, in keeping with the tradition of Chimu ceramics. The typically southern use of polychrome designs and the flattened spouts of Inca ceramics are retained. The double-chamber and double spout linked by a bridge are characteristics of Chimu-Inca art. The feline continued to be frequently represented as the principal deity.

Colonial Pottery
Ceramic. Peruvian Northern Coast. Conquest Epoch (1532 CE).

With the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors elements from European culture were introduced into Andean art.
At first the ceramics produced echoed the Inca designs of double-chamber, double spout and bridge vessels. European influence in these pieces can be seen in the yellow, brown or green glaze which was produced with a lead varnish and higher temperature kilns. Ceramics that imitated the metal pans of Europe were also produced.
One of the subjects represented in pre-Columbian art is the feline attacking a deer or a man carrying a subdued deer. After the Spanish conquest a variation on this theme appeared: a powerful man carrying a feline. For the first time in Andean art the feline god appears overpowered and defeated as if it were a deer, thereby reflecting the effect upon indigenous religious beliefs of the process known as the extirpation of idolatries.

Lima-Nievería
Ceramic. Peruvian Central Coast. Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CED).

Lima-Nievería pottery, produced on the central coast, displays features from the cultural traditions of both northern and southern Peru. It incorporates sculptural scenes from the northern tradition. Its southern influence is characterized by the double spout and bridge design and polychrome decoration. The dominant color is a bright orange.

Central Huari
Ceramic, Peruvian Central Coast. Fusion Epoch (800 CE – 1300 CE).

The Humaya style is the result of the coming together of the Huari and Lima styles and it inherited the orange color of Lima and the pictorial motifs of Huari.
During the Fusion Epoch, the pottery from the central coast shows the influence of Huari art without the sheen and smooth finish of that earlier culture’s work. Initially vessels were mostly brightly-colored, but gradually this colorfulness disappeared and the ceramics produced were of a lesser quality.
In these styles elements can be seen that were present in Chancay culture: the human face adopts a triangular form and the surface of the pottery is unpolished.

Chimu Idol
Wood. Peruvian Northern Coast. Imperial Epoch (1300 CE – 1532 CE).

A wooden sculpture representing a high dignitary from the Chimu culture wearing a funerary mask and holding a ceremonial vessel.
Sculptures like this decorated the main patios of Chimu citadels. In this way a kind of stage design was created within which these figures continued to preside over society’s principal ceremonies.

Pottery Technology
Ceramic and bone. Peruvian Northern Coast. Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).

The work of the potter demands control of every stage of production: the selection of the primary material, the preparation of the clay, the making of the object, decoration, drying, the finishing of the surface and firing.
The primary material for the making of Mochica ceramics consisted of red and cream-colored clays, as well as kaolin or white clay. The pigments used to give color to the slip and paints were mostly mineral-based, particularly ferrous oxides. Tools made from bones were used to decorate the ceramic after modeling. Molds and stamps were also used to apply some designs.
Some ceramic objects were flawed, but they were still conserved by ancient Peruvians.

Mochica Portrait Vessels
Pottery. Northern coast of Peru. Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).

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

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

Chancay
Ceramic. Peruvian Central Coast. Imperial Epoch (1300 CE – 1532 CE).

Chancay pottery, with its unpolished surface, was usually white with geometric designs in black or brown.
The sculptures of men and women in a standing position with raised arms are known as “cuchimilcos”. These large figures were dressed with textiles and were usually placed in pairs in tombs.
This culture achieved a very high level of quality in its production of textiles. Gauzes and tapestries were used to wrap the dead laid to rest in Chancay tombs. Potters reproduced ritual scenes which accompanied the dead into the afterlife.

Pachacamac
Ceramic. Peruvian Central Coast. Fusion Epoch (800 CE – 1300 CE).

Pachacamac, located in the Lurín Valley, was the most important ceremonial center on the central coast. Very high quality pottery from the Fusion Epoch has been found at this site.
This pottery is predominantly red, black and cream in color and was clearly influenced by Huari culture.
The most characteristic representation is that of a zoomorphic figure known as the “Pachacamac gryphon”, a fantastic animal which is a cross between an eagle and a feline, with a three-pointed crest, often represented holding a knife.

Nasca Drum
Pottery. Southern coast of Peru. Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).

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

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

Southern Huari
Ceramic and stone. Peruvian Southern Coast. Fusion Epoch (800 CE – 1300 CE).

The Huari culture emerged in Ayacucho, in the southern highlands of Peru. Its pottery combines sculpture with the use of color. Motifs are outlined in black. This style greatly influenced the Andean region during the Fusion Epoch.
The style from the southern coast displays a marked Huari influence. The pottery also incorporates Nasca influence in its use of the double spout and bridge handle.
Figures carved in turquoise, found at the Huari site of Pikillacta, representing members of the elite dressed in important symbols of power and status in the form of fine headdresses and tunics..

Chincha Sculpture
Wood. Peruvian Southern Coast. Imperial Epoch (1300 CE – 1532 CE).

Nasca Culture
Ceramic. Peruvian Southern Coast. Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).

Life in the Nasca culture was filled with rituals and celebrations associated with the fertility of the land and the cult of the dead.
The Nasca society lived on the south coast of Peru, which is a desert region. They needed to improve the fertility of their land, and to this end they developed great knowledge regarding water sources, both in the form of surface water from the rains which fell in the highlands and subterranean supplies. It was also important for them to understand the behavior of animals and the lifecycles of plants.
The Nasca made pilgrimages to their main temples at Cahuachi, where they danced and played instruments such as panpipes and drums. Their roads and ceremonial spaces were inserted into the landscape in the form of the famous Nazca Lines.
In these ceremonies, they used very fine ceramic vessels to hold beverages, foods and other substances, possibly of a hallucinogenic nature, which were used by their shamans. The people dressed themselves in colorful textiles and bright ornaments. They carried woven and feather standards.
The designs of the colorful Nasca ceramics feature natural and supernatural creatures, as well as stylized representations of humans adorned as they would have been when participating in rituals.
Another important subject of this art is the representation of trophy heads. Sometimes these were carried by humans with supernatural features and by mythological beings. In other cases they formed part of their bodies or clothing. Trophy heads were won in ritual battles and then used in ceremonies.

Santa
Ceramic. Peruvian Northern Highlands. Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).

Also known as Recuay, this culture developed in the highlands and coast of north-central Peru.
Its pottery is sculptural and scenographic. In the painted designs a stylized feline dominates. Appendages emerge from the head and face of what is known as the “rampant feline” or “lunar animal”. This creature is frequently seen in the art of the Mochica culture, which was a contemporary and neighbor of the Santa on the northern coast of Peru.

Nasca Pottery
Ceramic. Peruvian Southern Coast. Florescent Epoch (1 CE – 800 CE).

While Nasca A or Monumental pottery is naturalistic and colorful, Nasca B or Proliferative
Nasca pottery have no naturalistic representations. In this ceramic vessel, decorative motifs are multiplied, reflecting a horror vacui (fear of empty space). They feature complex representations of humans, animals and supernatural beings.
The feline continued to be worshiped as a god and was represented in a stylized form. It is a flying feline with a large nose ring. Some of the rays are tipped with the heads of serpents. Once again we see the combination of feline, bird and serpent features.
Another frequently seen motif is the trophy head. These are so stylized that they appear as small triangles with three markings.

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Larco Museum - Cultures of Ancient Peru