Dying to Rule: Sex and Power in Moche Society – 2007
Vritrina
Cántaro: Gobernante sentado sobre plataforma escalonada Museo Larco, Lima - Perú / ML000635
Botella asa-estribo: Felino ocelote con soga al cuello Museo Larco, Lima - Perú / ML008008
Cántaro: Gobernante sentado sobre plataforma escalonada Museo Larco, Lima - Perú / ML000635
The Ruler
The symbol most emblematic of this official was a terraced platform built on the top of a colossal adobe pyramid and often decorated with waves. The Ruler sat on the highest level of the platform under a gable roof crowned with war-clubs and accompanied by a jaguar. From here he decided the fate of his people, presided over the highest ceremonies and received shell offerings of Strombus, a giant snail that was considered a symbol of fertility and inhabited Ecuador’s warm tropical seas. Upon the Ruler’s death, the rites that marked the beginning of his journey to the afterlife began.