Virú

Room 2, Vitrine 9

Ceramic
Peruvian Northern Coast
Formative Epoch (1250 BC – 1 AD)
ML013676, ML016403, ML016409, ML031851, ML031853, ML040403.

This culture was discovered by Rafael Larco Hoyle in 1933 in the Virú Valley, in the department of La Libertad.

In their ceramics the negative decoration technique dominated. The red designs were covered with very fine clay, while the parts that were left uncovered darkened during firing. The covered parts did not darken, and this created the negative painting effect.

Here we see a serpent with two feline heads and a bird perched on it; the feline with the face of an owl on its breast; and a four-legged bird. All of these hybrid creatures are a combination of the bird, the feline and the serpent. These hybrid creatures represent the union of the powers of the sky, earth and underworld. This union reflects the growing power of the rulers.