Mochica Warrior Dance

Room 9, Vitrine 116

Ceramic, bone
Peruvian Northern Coast
Florescent Epoch (1 AD – 800 AD)
ML002210, ML002223, ML013655, ML500085-ML500088

The Dance with a Rope was a ceremony in which warrior chiefs participated dressed in their finest clothing and personal adornments. This was a celebration associated with ritual combat and sacrifices. This dance has been represented in the art of a number of the cultures of ancient Peru, from the Mochica to the Incas.

In the Dance of the Rope depicted in Mochica art, the main protagonist wears the clothing of a warrior chief, with a conical helmet and coccyx protector. He also possesses the teeth of a feline, in a clear allusion to his supposedly supernatural character. This supernatural warrior appears at the center of the ceremony holding a rope, while two groups of warriors can be seen at his sides wearing their own ceremonial clothing. Some of the warriors wear shirts decorated with square plaques, while others wear shirts adorned with circular metal decorations. Musicians playing a drum and flute and dancers accompany the ritual dance.

Mochica ceramic; bone flutes.