﻿170 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  and 
  fished 
  and 
  were 
  also 
  concerned 
  with 
  the 
  institutions 
  of 
  religion 
  

   and 
  government, 
  and 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  ideographic 
  writing 
  and 
  the 
  trans- 
  

   portation 
  of 
  their 
  messages. 
  

  

  BURIAL 
  

  

  The 
  dead 
  were 
  placed 
  on 
  their 
  backs, 
  at 
  full 
  length, 
  aud 
  with 
  one 
  

   or 
  both 
  hands 
  over 
  the 
  sacral 
  region. 
  Graves 
  were 
  elongated 
  excava- 
  

   tions 
  sometimes 
  lined 
  with 
  stones, 
  cane, 
  or 
  adobes. 
  Pottery, 
  food, 
  and 
  

   other 
  offerings 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  niches 
  and 
  around 
  the 
  body. 
  Pottery 
  

   was 
  the 
  principal 
  votive 
  offering. 
  Vessels 
  representing 
  dignitaries, 
  

   foods, 
  divinities, 
  animals, 
  life 
  scenes, 
  or 
  utensils 
  were 
  placed 
  around 
  

   the 
  body. 
  

  

  Apparently, 
  the 
  Mochicas 
  believed 
  that, 
  when 
  the 
  flesh 
  decayed, 
  life 
  

   was 
  maintained 
  in 
  the 
  skeleton 
  or 
  bones. 
  Thus, 
  their 
  art 
  depicts 
  

   scenes 
  of 
  dancing 
  skeletons; 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  tombs 
  there 
  have 
  beeu 
  found 
  

   hollow 
  canes 
  that 
  led 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  

   the 
  ground, 
  presumably 
  with 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  offering 
  the 
  deceased 
  food 
  

   and 
  drink 
  by 
  this 
  device. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  the 
  dead, 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  their 
  status, 
  were 
  

   placed 
  sheets 
  of 
  gold, 
  silver, 
  or 
  copper 
  wrapped 
  in 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  clotb. 
  

  

  ESTHETIC 
  AND 
  RECREATIONAL 
  ACTIVITIES 
  

  

  Art.— 
  The 
  Mochica 
  artist 
  was 
  inspired 
  by 
  life 
  around 
  him, 
  which 
  he 
  

   observed 
  in 
  detail 
  and 
  represented 
  witb 
  great 
  fidelity. 
  Both 
  in 
  mod- 
  

   eling 
  and 
  painting 
  he 
  captured 
  a 
  range 
  of 
  human 
  emotions, 
  including 
  

   nobility 
  and 
  vice, 
  religious 
  sentiment 
  and 
  eroticism. 
  

  

  Modeling 
  and 
  relief 
  work 
  dominated 
  ceramics 
  (pi. 
  70). 
  Eed 
  and 
  

   cream 
  colors 
  were 
  added 
  to 
  modeled 
  pieces 
  to 
  vivify 
  the 
  sculpturing. 
  

  

  Their 
  painted 
  scenes 
  lacked 
  perspective, 
  composition, 
  and 
  indi- 
  

   vidual 
  treatment 
  of 
  motifs. 
  The 
  pictures 
  do, 
  however, 
  show 
  great 
  

   movement 
  and 
  give 
  a 
  complete 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  scene 
  represented. 
  Zoo- 
  

   morphs, 
  phytomorphs, 
  anthropomorphs, 
  and 
  cursive 
  and 
  geometric 
  

   figures 
  were 
  the 
  common 
  elements 
  of 
  their 
  art. 
  In 
  their 
  geometric 
  

   motifs 
  the.y 
  employed 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  elements 
  common 
  today 
  in 
  the 
  na- 
  

   tive 
  art 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Coast 
  of 
  Peru. 
  Their 
  portrait 
  vessels 
  (pi. 
  70) 
  are 
  

   outstanding. 
  

  

  Their 
  artistic 
  abilities 
  were 
  also 
  expressed 
  with 
  great 
  skill 
  in 
  bone, 
  

   wood, 
  and 
  stone 
  (pi. 
  71, 
  i), 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  left 
  behind 
  true 
  objects 
  of 
  

   jeweler's 
  art, 
  wrought 
  in 
  metals. 
  

  

  Festivals. 
  — 
  The 
  Mochicas 
  had 
  festivals 
  comparable 
  to 
  those 
  held 
  

   today 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  Coast 
  and 
  Highlands. 
  They 
  masqueraded 
  

   as 
  animals 
  or 
  strange 
  beings, 
  and 
  executed 
  warlike 
  and 
  religious 
  dances 
  

   to 
  music. 
  They 
  also 
  reproduced 
  dramatic 
  scenes. 
  Some 
  of 
  their 
  pot- 
  

   tery 
  shows 
  scenic 
  representations 
  of 
  battles 
  of 
  the 
  god 
  with 
  demons. 
  

  

  Music— 
  For 
  musical 
  instruments, 
  the 
  Mochica 
  had 
  the 
  flute, 
  

   panpipes, 
  drum, 
  tambourine, 
  straight 
  and 
  coiled 
  trumpets, 
  pututos 
  

  

  