Mochica Heads of Gold Scepters

Room 10, Vitrine 127

Metal
Peruvian Northern Coast
Florescent Epoch (1 AD – 800 AD)
ML100798, ML100799

In ancient Peru gold was symbolically associated with the brightness and warmth of the sun, which was responsible for the growth of plants. Corn was the cereal crop used to prepare chicha, the ritual and celebratory beverage of the Andes.

These gold corncobs were the heads of scepters, which were symbols of authority; at the same time, their agricultural symbolism provides an insight into the way in which the societies of ancient Peru viewed the world.