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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY— PUBLICATION NO. 3 



persons who have "influence" and prestigeful social 

 connections. The real function of godparents is to 

 broaden and, if possible, increase the social and eco- 

 nomic resources of the child and his parents and by 

 the same token to lower the anxieties of the parents 

 on this score. It is for this reason that relatives are 

 usually passed over, and jorastcros, if trusted, are in- 

 vited. Also, the godparents have certain financial 

 responsibilities with respect to the ceremonies, and if 

 thev do not perform properly, the family is 

 "ashamed." Although padrinacgo is sometimes 

 abused in certain parts of Peru, this does not seem to 

 be the case in Moche. and it is not usual to attempt to 

 levy more than the customary obligations against the 

 godparents. It is, on the other hand, regarded as an 

 honor to he chosen, if one feels that he can meet the 

 obligations which, on the whole, are not heavy. 



The padrino and niadrum are not husband and wife, 

 and usually are not relatives. They have the obliga- 

 tion to provide printed announcement cards which 

 are given to the guests at the feast following the 

 baptism and either pinned on their clothes or tied on 

 with colored ribbons, and afterward stored away as 

 keepsakes. A typical announcement of this sort, con- 

 sisting of three parts, reads as follows: 



[first card] 



Flor Victoria Rodriguez Vargas 



Nacio el 10 de Marzo de 1944 



Se hautizo el 5 de Noviembre de 1944 



PADKINOS 



Luz Yupanqui de Tarn 



Abraham Diaz y Dias 



[second card] 



FLOR VICTORIA 



Naci6 : el 10 de Marzo de 1944 



Sc Bautizo el S de Noviembre de 1944 



[third card] 

 PADRES: PADRINOS : 



Sr. Carlos Rodriguez Sra. Luz Yupanque de Tarn 



.Sra. Elena Vargas de Sr. Abraham Diaz 



Rodriguez 



The padrinos are also expected to make a present, of 

 money, clothing, or a toy, to their godchild at the 

 feast. After the ceremony itself the padrlnos have 

 the obligation to bury the child if it should die before 

 its twelfth or fifteenth year (informants are vague 

 on the year) and to render help to the child upon de- 

 mand. Usually a good padrino will make an occa- 

 sional present to his ahijado, especially on the latter's 

 birthday, and will always be available for advice and 

 counsel. The godchild, on the other hand, has the 



obligation to pay respect to his godparent at all times, 

 and for this reason does not trouble the latter with 

 trivial matters. Also, a good godchild should be will- 

 ing to ofifer assistance to his godparent when the latter 

 needs it. The padrinu's responsibilities and rights 

 extend only to the godchild, not to other brothers or 

 sisters. It appears that a number of lawyers, inter- 

 ested in fomenting litigation over land, have taken ad- 

 vantage of this fact by installing themselves as 

 godparents, and are quite ready and willing to contest 

 wills and claims of other siblings, ostensibly on behalf 

 of their godchildren (and, of course, for a fee). At 

 the feast of baptism, the godparents also frequently 

 contribute a bottle of pisco or some other delicacy to 

 the parents. 



The nurse (ama) carries the child in her arms to 

 the baptismal font, where she turns it over to the 

 father. After the church ceremony has terminated, 

 the father gives the child to the nurse once more and 

 she carries it back to the house. She also is supposed 

 to look after it during the subsequent festivities. A 

 respect relationship continues between the child and 

 the nurse. This is the only ceremony in which an 

 ama appears. 



The parents themselves are obligated to provide 

 as elaborate a party in their house as their circum- 

 stances will permit. Weeks before, they start col- 

 lecting poultry and make plans to get meat. In 

 this, as at all other times when help is needed, their 

 compadrcs assist and on the day of the feast the 

 comadrcs of the family are usual! v in the kitchen 

 helping to prepare and to serve the viands. (These 

 are comadres and compadres previously established, 

 not those established in the present ceremony.) 

 Chkha and hard liquor are provided, as well as mu- 

 sic and a place to dance the marincra. During the 

 feast numerous toasts are drunk to the health of 

 the child, its parents, and to the newly established 

 compadrcs. Aside from its recreational aspects, the 

 feast, in short, serves as a public recognition of the 

 newly established ceremonial kinship relationships. 



In after years the compadrcs and comadrcs con- 

 tinue in a special relationship of mutual respect, 

 friendship, and disposition to aid each other. The 

 closest relationship exists between the parents and 

 the godparents, and so far as obligations between 

 these two pairs are concerned, the heaviest falls on 

 the parents, for they are under obligation to the god- 

 parents for the obligations which the latter in turn 

 have undertaken toward the child. Thus, if a man 

 is in need of assistance, he will tend first to turn to 



