The dead fertilizing the underworld
Room 5, Vitrine 42
• 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.
• Moche culture, Florescent Epoch (1 AD – 800 AD), ML004199, ML004212, ML004321, ML004322, ML004324, ML004326, ML004344.
ML004199