1 101 1 A The huge twin-platformed Huaca Rajada, 'the Cracked Mound', dominates a cluster of 29 platform mounds in the Lambayeque Valley in northern Peru. Constructed of mud bricks, these mounds were built by organised work gangs, each using distinctively marked and shaped mud bricks, working off their labour tax.
3 101 2 A A looted tomb. Tomb robbers are very active in the Moche area. They mine these mounds for saleable objects, entirely destroying the archaeological information about the context of these objects and making it impossible to reconstruct any details of the burials. That is why the discovery of an intact tomb is so precious. Pottery offerings suggest the presence of an intact tomb.
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6 101 3 A The uppermost level of this huge mound was a platform for a temple. Each ruler built a temple on the mound; when he died he would be buried in the mound and his successor would construct a new platform and temple above his tomb.
5 101 3 B A ramp, leading up to the main platform.
7 101 3 C The uppermost tomb belonged to a ruler known to archaeologists as the 'Lord of Sipan' or the 'Warrior Priest'. He died around AD 290.
8 101 3 D The lowermost tomb in the pyramid belonged to an aged individual known as the Old Lord of Sipan.
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18 105 4 A
20 102 4 B A magnificent death mask, concealing more wonderful objects beneath.
14 102 4 C Two ft (65cm) tall, this crab deity adorned a fabric banner covered with gilded metal plates, placed beneath the death mask.
13 102 4 D A tiny warrior-lord, with a hammered gold headdress. The headdress has an owl in the centre. He holds a war club, and his nose ornament moves up and down, as did the one worn by the real Old Lord of Sipan.
12 102 4 E An exquisite golden necklace of spiders with human faces on their backs.
11 101 4 F The burial of the Old Lord of Sipan, probably a predecessor of the Warrior Priest. He was accompanied by a single female retainer but his grave goods were exceptionally rich.
#L5 The tomb of the Warrior Priest.
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19 101 5 A The body of a 20 year old man, a warrior guardian, the first burial discovered in this tomb. He wore a gilded copper helmet and was buried with a round copper shield. Both his feet had been cut off and gold discs had been placed in his hand and his mouth.
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22 101 6 A This woman, buried at the foot of the coffin, rested on her right side, facing inwards. She wore a copper head-dress. Little is known about the position of women in Moche society, although they are represented on Moche pottery giving birth and as healers. Several other women were also buried around the coffin.
23 101 6 B A man aged about 40, accompanied by a dog. Dogs were frequently included in burials in the Andes. Modern folklore tells how dogs accompany the dead to the underworld.
24 101 6 C A man of about 40, with a copper shield and a war club. His spendid head-dresses suggest that he was a warrior of higher status than the guardian buried higher in the tomb. His left foot was removed before burial.
27 101 6 D Pottery vessels, many unused. These had been made in a hurry, using just a few moulds, shortly before the funeral. Some are for pouring libations and offerings, others are everyday cooking and water vessels. Highly decorated, some show domestic scenes with ritual overtones, others depict prisoners. Many show drums, flutes and panpipes.
#L7 The burial of the Warrior Priest: outer contents of the coffin.
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29 101 7 A The coffin was of wood, a rare material used only for the most prestigious burials. It was painted red inside and out, and fastened with copper clasps.
#L8 The coffin of the Warrior Priest (Lord of Sipan).
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33 103 9 A Above and below the body lie fabric banners decorated with gilded copper figures wearing necklaces and turquoise bracelets. The lower banner is held rigid by copper struts.
32 101 9 B Three shrouds, two decorated with gilded copper discs, enveloped the contents.
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37 102 10 A A gilded copper headdress decorated with a figure like those on the banners. It is in the shape of a figure with two massive outstretched hands and smaller feet. Beneath it lies the textile headband with which it was bound into place.
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38 101 11 A A shirt entirely covered with small squares of gilded copper and hemmed with cone-shaped tassels. He was in his thirties when he died.
40 102 11 B 11 pectorals (chest coverings) made of hundreds of shell and copper beads. Other beads, microscopic in size, were made of turquoise and gold: they show the incredible skill of the Moche craftsmen.
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44 102 13 A A golden rattle held in the Lord's hand depicts a warrior who is holding a prisoner by the hair and clubbing him. Scenes in Moche art show that rattles were part of the ritual paraphernalia used in sacrifice ceremonies by warrior priests. In his other hand the Lord is holding a knife.
45 102 13 B Gold, silver and copper ornaments, ear spools and a fine necklace of realistic gold and silver peanuts decorate the Lord's body. The size and form of ear-ornaments were used to denote rank.
47 101 13 C The body of the Warrior Priest was clothed in a simple white tunic.
63 101 13 D The body of the Warrior Priest also known as the Lord of Sipan.
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71 103 14 A Crescent-shaped gold bells, their centres depicting the fearsome figure known as 'the decapitator'. He holds a special knife (tumi) and a severed trophy head. Two of the bells were fastened to backflaps of gold and copper: these were worn in battle as a protection for the backside.
60 103 14 B Spondylus shells lay near his copper sandalled feet. Spondylus shells were seen as food for the gods, and also as symbols of power and status. Conch shells also found in the coffin are used today, as in the past, to call meetings.
72 102 14 C Among the objects beneath the body were this small gold headdress ornament, a copper headdress with decorated chin strap and copper strips whose use is unknown.
96 101 14 D A massive gold headresses ornament.
79 101 15 A At the bottom were placed shells, feather headresses, a miniature shield and war club, and darts tipped with copper.
77 104 15 B
-1 101 1 Z Burials, discovered in 1987, at the Moche site of Sipan in the Lambayeque region of northern Peru, are the richest found to date in the Americas. The wealth of grave goods discovered in the five tombs that were excavated testified to the prosperity of the Moche elite. Many of the goods were made of gold and silver. Two of the tombs are those of priest-warriors - the Lord of Sipan and the Old Lord of Sipan. Male and female attendants were sacrificed and buried with them.
