Shamans, Supernaturals & Animal Spirits: Mythic Figures From the Ancient Andes

200
Section from a Tunic
Head of the Decapitator (with Cactus Motif?)
Moche-Wari culture, Huarmey Valley
AD 750-1000
Camelid fiber, cotton; interlocking and slit tapestry weave
6½" x 15"
The elaborately festooned head of the mythical Decapitator takes up
the entire pattern field. The figure is abbreviated, but nonetheless
laden with intricate versions of the customary symbols.
It may be a modern-day imposition to ascribe a demonic quality to
this supernatural personage. The elongated head (with otherworldly
doubled eyes) apparently conflates motifs from several sources, including
the Wari “Llama Sacrificer" and a Moche iguana deity dubbed “Curly
Top." 1
Although the figure is truncated, a labyrinthine appendage terminating
in the head of a bird of prey replaces the usual wing. Other motifs
introduce references rooted in Tiwanaku art (the ultimate source of this
cosmology). That iconography links the camelid with the visionary San
Pedro cactus, such as on the famous Bennett Stela, which includes the
image of a llama or alpaca transporting a large flowering cactus plant
on its back and head. The hallucinogen was key to Andean rites and
ceremonies.
As the images in this catalogue demonstrate, the evolution of this cactus
symbol can be traced through Chavín, Nasca, Tiwanaku and Wari art.
Potentially, that visual history explains the white inflorescence budding
from the top of this head, as well as the hexagonal motif with three
“fingers" that dangles from the front and back of the headdress. This
enigmatic symbol may represent a slice of the stalk of that magical
plant or its white flower. If so, it suggests that the L-shaped “tongue"
emerging from the Decapitator's mouth possibly indicates speech, song
or another kind of sound.
1 Christopher Donnan and Donna McClelland, Moche Fineline Painting: Its Evolution and Its Artists
(1999): 47, fig. 3.14.
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