CHECAN – MUNAY
LOVE
At the heart of the Andean worldview is the concept of tinkuy: the generative meeting of opposite and complementary forces. Just as the day gives way to night before dawn comes once more, and the dry season gives way to the rains so that crops can flourish, men and women come together to engender new life.
One of the clearest expressions of tinkuy in the art of ancient Peru is the scene depicting the mythological union of the civilizing Moche hero with Mother Earth (Pachamama). From this sexual encounter the tree of life is born as a symbol of continual renewal, the continuity of existence, and the good life (kawkay) of the community. The tree of life is a universal symbol, present in different mythologies throughout history, and a potent reminder of the renewal that comes from the erotic impulse and the sexual act.
In the Moche language, the word checán means ‘love’, and it was the word chosen by Rafael Larco Hoyle as the title for his book on the depiction of sexuality in the Andean world. In all cultures, throughout the world and across history, the bonds of love and sexual interaction have been alluded to and depicted artistically in a host of ways. Human sexuality, the body, attraction, desire and pleasure have taken the form of artistic and ritual objects used in festivities and ceremonies, and historically these were present in both private and public spaces; in palaces, temples and mausoleums.
In the Checán gallery, we can appreciate fully the work of those expert pottery makers of ancient Peru who kneaded clay and modeled the human body, and who were appreciative of the nude form. Here, we share a space with those ancient clay bodies, once animated by the liquids that flowed through them, which accompanied ancient Peruvians in life and death, propitiating continual renewal. Such renewal was made possible by working the land, and also by the joining of aroused bodies surrendering to desire and pleasure.
We invite you to explore and enjoy these artistic creations of ancient Peru, as they offer us a way of understanding sexuality as an indispensable regenerative force; in this world (Kay Pacha), where humanity must engender each new generation, as well as in the underworld (Uku Pacha), from where the crops that feed humanity must take root and flourish, and in the celestial world (Hanan Pacha), where the deities must remain joined for all time, in order to make possible the eternal return of a new cycle of life.
EROTIC GALLERY
In this gallery, we present the selection of archaeological objects from the Larco Museum collection made by Rafael Larco Hoyle as part of his study of the depiction of sexuality in Peruvian Pre-Columbian art, published in his book Checán (1966).
Here, we present a conception of sexuality and eroticism inextricably linked to an integrated understanding of the world and its animating vital forces. Our hope is that this exhibition will enable visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the world as it was experienced by the peoples of ancient Peru. At the same time, we see this exhibition as a uniquely fascinating opportunity to engage with sexuality, free of any mythologizing and prejudice derived from our own cultural and religious beliefs, and the social constructs of our own time.
Rafael Larco, with characteristic frankness and recognizing the complex nature of the field he was studying, as he sought a coherent interpretation of these artworks, concluded in his publication: “as I bring to a close this book on one of the aspects of Peruvian archaeology for which, as a reference, we have only erotic vessels, I leave readers free to arrive at their own conclusions” (Rafael Larco Hoyle, Checán, p. 128).
LARCO TOMB
Rafael Larco Hoyle’s archaeological record
Excavation of a Moche tomb in the Chicama valley