MOCHE: A PERUVIAN COASTAL COMNOJNITY— GILLIN 



105 



widespread comment if any cross word passes be- 

 tween persons linked by ceremonial kinship. 



The following types of ceremonial kinship are 

 recognized in Moche at present. In order to simplify 

 the terminology, I shall speak in terms of the types 

 of godparents and it will be imderstood that, except 

 as noted, females as well as males may be involved. 



A. Spiritual fadrmos. (They sfionsor persons.) 



1. Godmother of birth (madrina de alumbramicnto) . 



The midwife who delivers a child stands there- 

 after in relation of comadre to the parents of the 

 child. 



2. GodjJarents of baptism or christening (padrinos dc 



pila or de bautismo). The child has one such god- 

 parent of each sex. 



3. Xail-cutting godmother (dc quitar uiias), when the 



child's nails are first cut, usually a woman only 

 (madrina) serves as sponsor. 



4. Water of succor godparents {del agua de socorro) 



when an unbaptized child is in danger of death 

 and is baptized with holy water by someone who 

 is not in holy orders. 



5. Hairculting godparents (del corle de pclo). when 



the male child has his first haircut. 



6. Ear-piercing godmother (de la apertitra de oretas, 



or de abrir oidos) when the girl child has her ears 

 pierced for earrings; followed at age 10 to 12 by 

 ceremonial presentation of earrings. 



7. Confirmation godparents (de confirmaciSn). 



8. Scapular godmother (de escaputarios), when scap- 



ulars are hung on the child ; usually a woman only 

 (madrina) serves as si)onsor. 



9. Engagement godparents (del cambio de arcos), 



when a couple e.xchange rings as a sign of 

 betrothal. 



10. Marriage godparents (de matrimonio), when a 



couple is married. 



B. Friendship padrinos. (They sponsor things.) 



11. Altar-lowering padrinos (de baiar altares) . They 



sponsor the ceremony of faking down the altars 

 and crosses erected by individuals, fainilies, or 

 groups for certain religious feasts. The most 

 important of these is : 

 a. Padrino of the lowering of the Altar of the 



Nativity (Altar del Nacimiento del Hijo dc 



Dios) on January 6. 



12. House-warming padrinos (de la casa), when a new 



house is opened for the first time. 



13. Chicha padrinos (de la botija de chicha), when a 



new container of maize drink is ceremonially 

 broached. 



14. Carnival compadres (compadres de la cinta). No 



sponsorship is involved here. During cameval, 

 several days of festivities preceding Lent, it is 

 customary that men and women be tied together 

 with strips of paper or thread in a mood of fun 

 while dancing. Either the man or the woman 

 may make the advances, and if the other accepts, 



the two become compadres de la cinla. The rela- 

 tionship is extended to their respective spouses. 



The ceremonies and relationships involved vary in 

 importance. In the above list they have been classi- 

 fied into two categories, "spiritual" and "friendship," 

 which are the terms used by the Mocheros in speak- 

 ing of them. The "spirittial" padrinos sponsor 

 persons, and the "friendship" padrinos (de amistad) 

 sponsor things. (Actually the padrino helps out or 

 assists the owner or proprietor of the thing.) All 

 those ceremonies in the first category celebrate 

 recognized "life crises" or transition states in the life 

 history of the individual who is being sponsored, 

 whereas those in the second category celebrate an 

 event of importance only to the owner or proprietor 

 of the material object involved (although the 

 material object may have certain religious or animis- 

 tic aspects). 



Another classification might be made. It will be 

 noted that certain types of padrinos are established 

 in connection with crisis rites of the Roman Catholic 

 Church, namely, padrinos of baptism, water of succor 

 (which is an approved emergency substitute for 

 baptism), confirmation, and marriage. In the estab- 

 lishment of this type of padrinazgo and compadrasgo, 

 the ceremonial kinsmen participate in Roman rites. 

 Certain other types of ceremonial kinship, on the 

 other hand, are also set up in connection with indi- 

 vidual life crises, but bear marks of being derived 

 from an alxiriginal or "jiagan" context. They are 

 the relationships involved in haircutting, ear piercing, 

 nail cutting, and scapular hanging (although the 

 scapulars now in use are church medals or at least 

 are blessed). Possibly the engagement ceremony 

 should be included in this category as well, although 

 it may possibly be derived from European or North 

 Ainerican cultural sources. 



In the "friendship" type of sponsorship, the 

 padrino is said to sponsor a thing, but he is actually 

 sponsoring or aiding the thing's owner or proprietor. 

 The word or relationship of ahijado (godchild) does 

 not appear in this type of ceremonial kinship, and the 

 only relationship between human beings involved is 

 between compadres and comadres. In this category, 

 the lowering of altars is the most serious type of 

 ceremony and involves Catholic religious beliefs, 

 ahhough it is not enjoined by the church. Whatever 

 may have been the spiritual or animistic background 

 of the house warming, chicha, and carnival cere- 

 monies in the past, at present they are merely 



