A Night At The Museum ~ Museo Larco

“Museums tell stories so much better than textbooks do. And that’s what history is, isn’t it? It’s just one a really big story.” - Katherine Locke

I’ve been privileged to visit many of the famous iconic museums and churches during my wandering around the world. Today I would like to share with you my visit to the Museo Larco in Lima, Peru, home to the finest pre-Colombian artifacts in the world. The museum was open by special permission after hours for our group which created a special mystique of its own as we wandered through empty rooms marveling at the magnificent contents.

Cult Of the Dead - sacrifices and ceremonies

Ancient Peruvians honored their gods with offerings and ceremonies and paid homage to their dead. The works of art that we see in museums were not usually objects intended for daily use. Although some of their apparently utilitarian forms may suggest such usages, their real function was to serve as spiritual rather than earthly objects.

In all ancient societies, the elite employed ways of defining themselves. In ancient Peru leaders would dress and adorn themselves with articles exclusive to their social rank. They would preside over the principal ceremonies wearing garments and ornaments which not only denoted the function they performed, but which also displayed the religious codes of their society and the emblems of power and privileged status. Their social position and identity were defined by their dress, crowns and many items of jewelry.

When they died they took with them into the afterlife objects which expressed their way of seeing the world. They were interred with the ritual attire which had identified their rank during life, and which had marked them out as the descendants of the gods. Their identity transcended their earthly existence and accompanied them into the next world. After death, these rulers would be transformed into ancestors who would share a place in the celestial world with the gods.

Smiths, weavers, pottery makers and other specialist artisans dedicated their abilities and skills, as well as a great deal of their time and energy, to dressing and decorating their lords, both in life and after death. To a great extent, they were responsible for the success of the journey made by their lords into the next world, for they were entrusted with the manufacture of objects of highly symbolic, devotional and mystical importance.

Huari Funerary Bundle

This funerary bundle contains the body of a child clothed in finery and topped by a metal mask. Much like the Egyptians the people of the Andes believed that death was merely a journey to another life. The bodies were embalmed and carefully preserved and sent on their journey so they could merge with their ancestors. This bundle has been wrapped with the richness and symbols to mark the social lineage of the death.

Sculptural Portrait Vessels

The pottery is decorated with realistic portraits which depict priests, warriors and the most outstanding artists of the Mohican culture. These are found in tombs as important funerary offerings.

Necklaces

Necklaces made from gemstones and seashells adorned the leaders of the societies of ancient Peru and formed part of their funerary offerings. The stones used included black porphyry, blue sodalite, translucent quartz and blue chrysocolla, from different regions of Peru. They also used Spondylus shells from the warm waters of Ecuador.

The use of these objects made from exotic materials differentiated the leaders from the rest of the population. To this end, the leaders controlled the trade networks, thereby ensuring their exclusive access to these materials.

Chimu Funerary Attire

This gold attire once belonged to a major leader of the mud brick city known as Chan Chan, the capital of the Chimú empire. The feathers on the crown, breastplate and epaulettes express the relationship between birds and the sun, in the celestial world.

This is the only known complete gold Chimú costume in the world’s collections and museums; many similar items would have been melted down during the Spanish conquest

Lambayeque Funerary attire

The value attributed to textiles by pre-Columbian societies can be compared to the importance given to gold and silver. Textiles served as much more than clothing; they were also a medium for the spreading of religious ideas and for transmitting messages to the next world when they were employed to wrap the mortal remains of the dead. They also served as exquisite gifts for the rulers of these societies, as well as to denote social status.

Throughout history, clothing has not only protected us from the natural elements, it has also enabled us to demonstrate who we are. Our clothing and adornments indicate our gender and social position, as well as our origins and what we do. This has been the case from the first moment when the members of a society felt the need to identify themselves as equals, as well as to differentiate themselves from others. Even today, members of a religion or the armed forces demonstrate that they belong to these institutions and their respective hierarchies through external indicators such as clothing.