Moche kings 85 over their subjects. Masters of the art of propaganda, these rulers were considered demigods and their divine ascendancy was represented through rich iconography that, among other things, associated a living being with supernatural powers. All of these concepts are explored in the new 1,000- square-meter temporary exhibition space at the MEG through this six-part installation. The first section provides context through the presentation of the natural and human environment on the north coast of Peru, from the time of its original settlement in the Paleo-Indian period around 11,000 years ago to the advent of Moche civilization. The second and third parts deal with the development of power, ideology, and heirarchical symbolism through an examination of the principal actors in Moche rituals. Human sacrifice as a central ritual activity is the subject of the fourth section, in which, among other things, spectacular objects discovered in the Sipán mausoleum associated with the participants in the Ceremony of Sacrifice are presented. The Lord of Ucupe’s tomb and the context of its discovery are the subject of the fifth section, which is the heart of the exhibition. This section features remarkable regalia, and the funerary rituals and the symbolism of objects that express Mochica ideology are examined. The final section of the exhibition is devoted to architecture and to mural painting and features spectacular, actual-size color photographs of the frescoes seen on the edifices erected for the elites and the great temples, or huacas. An inaugural temporary exhibition of the scope and importance of Les rois mochica clearly shows that the MEG is not only striving to affirm its position as an institution on the cutting edge of research but also indicates its position as a leader in the field of cultural cooperation. Indeed, the exhibition was conceived of not only as an homage to the creative talents of the Moche but also as a research project, the findings of which the MEG will communicate to Peru. At a time when so many societies, including that of Peru, are turning to their origins as a means of rethinking their identities, this approach was born of an ethical imperative that this exhibition strives to fulfill. FIG. 15 (top): Diadem 9 of the Lord of Ucupe. Moche, Huaca el Pueblo, North Coast, Peru. Middle Moche A, 5th century. Copper, silver. H: 25 cm. Ministerio de Cultura del Perú, Lima, inv. MTRS-0005413. © MEG, J. Watts/Ministerio de Cultura del Perú, Lima. FIG. 16 (above): Nose ornament. Moche, Dos Cabezas, tomb 2, North Coast, Peru. Middle Moche, 6th–7th century. Gold, resin. H: 4 cm. Museo de Sitio de Chan Chan, Trujillo. Inv. reg. nac. 0000178738. © MEG, J. Watts/Ministerio de Cultura del Perú, Lima. FIG. 17 (below left): Royal belt ornament. Moche, Sipán, North Coast, Peru. Middle Moche, 6th–7th century. Gold, silver, copper. H: 53 cm. Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán, Chiclayo, inv. MTRS-55-INC-02. Photo: MEG, J. Watts/Ministerio de Cultura del Perú, Lima. FIG. 18 (below): Installation view. Exhibition design by MCBD Architectes, Geneva. © MEG, B. Glauser.
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