Questions for Thought

1. What insights have we gained from the excavations at Sipan?
2. Why were so many beautiful works of art buried with the ruler at Sipan? What other cultures, past and present, have done the same, and for what reasons?
3. Why do human cultures give such emphasis to ceremonies around the dead? What can we learn about the religion of a culture by examining the grave goods? What can we learn about the culture?
4. Although well-made ceramic vessels have been found in other Moche tombs, those found at Sipan were very ordinary. Yet Sipan's metalworks were the most extraordinary in the ancient Americas. Why do you think the ceramics were only mediocre?
5. What is the purpose of archaeology? How are archaeologists different from looters?
6. Did you know that it is illegal in most countries to dig at an archaeological site without a permit? Why do you think it is against the law?
7. Looters benefit monetarily by selling the artifacts they've stolen. Does anyone else benefit from this activity? Is anything lost as a result of the looting?
8. What are the contemporary issues and concerns facing archaeologists today?

"Moche artists did not depict the full range of objects and activities in the world around them. However, they left an amazingly complete picture — one that offers a unique opportunity to reconstruct this ancient culture, and to leam not only of the world in which its people lived, but the unique and wonderful way in which they perceived that world."

— From Donnan, Christopher, Moche Art of Peru, p. 189.

Questions for Thought:

1. How did the Moche record their history and their way of life?

2. What clues to an extinct culture (or to Moche life) are given by their art objects? By analyzing the art, what role of importance did animals play in both the secular and religious realms of the Moche?

3. When and how does art become an important means of communication?

4. What is anthropomorphism? How is it seen in Moche art?

5. The Moche way of combat may seem cruel and violent to us. Do you think that the Moche were more or less violent than our society? Why do you think so?

6. How was Moche warfare different from our warfare today?

7. What are the purposes of war? Can we accomplish those purposes today without wars? What are the alternatives?

8. Besides writing, how do we communicate our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs to others? How did the Moche so communicate?