Funerary Ritual

Room 10, Vitrine 125

Ceramic, textile
Peruvian Northern Coast
1 AD – 1532 AD
ML004115, ML600064

The people of ancient Peru were fully convinced that death was merely the beginning of a new life. That is why we see in the tombs of the great lords the riches which they possessed in life, as well as objects which were probably made exclusively for the afterlife.

Funerary rituals were long and complex processes governed by religious beliefs. They included the preparation of the body of the deceased, the building of a tomb or mausoleum, the manufacture of offerings and the burial itself.

Painted ceramic depicting the transporting of a sarcophagus with the deceased inside. Mochica culture, Florescent Epoch (1 AD – 800 AD).
Scene formed by woven dolls. Three women prepare the body of the deceased for burial by wrapping it in cloth. Chancay culture, Imperial Epoch (1300 AD – 1532 AD).