Enemy - Stranger - Neighbour: The Image of the Other in Moche Culture

The Moche and Recuay were the creators of two main cultures in northern Peru in the Early Intermediate Period. This study analyzes a set of complex, painted and bas-relief scenes and hundreds of mould-pressed, sculpted depictions of foreigners in Moche art to understand how the message regarding the 'other' was created and communicated, what its concept may have been, and what social functions it may have served. The attitude to foreigners was characterized by a combination of extreme feelings and emotions such as fear and admiration, resentment and interest, repulsion and fascination.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 200 pages
\n Publication date: 17 June 2021
\n Publisher: Archaeopress
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Enemy – Stranger – Neighbour: The Image of the Other in Moche Culture is a comprehensive exploration of artistic representations of the Recuay people in Moche art, across all available and preserved media. The Moche and the Recuay were the primary cultural forces in northern Peru during the Early Intermediate Period (approximately 100-750 CE). Both societies were illiterate, and as a result, no written records exist to document their mutual interactions. Nevertheless, the Moche extensively depicted the Recuay in their ceremonial art, which served as a potent ideological tool for social influence and control. The Moche's iconography provides a unique opportunity to examine the mechanisms of perceiving and presenting the "other" in a traditional society.

This study presents an analysis of a collection of several dozen intricate, painted, and bas-relief scenes, as well as several hundred mold-pressed, sculpted depictions of foreigners in Moche art. Its objective is to answer questions regarding the creation and communication of the message about the "other," its conceptual framework, and the social functions it served among the groups residing in the Southern Moche Region.

The attitude towards foreigners as reconstructed based on Moche iconography was multifaceted. It encompassed a range of extreme feelings and emotions, including fear, admiration, resentment, interest, repulsion, and fascination. This approach shares many characteristics with the study of "others" by specialists from various disciplines in diverse contexts and cultures.

The observations made in this book hold significance for Moche scholars, Andean archaeologists, and individuals with an interest in the pre-Columbian cultures of South America. Moreover, it can serve as an analogy for historians, art historians, and sociologists, offering valuable insights into the complexities of human perception and interaction.

\n Weight: 738g\n
Dimension: 347 x 702 x 18 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781789698824\n \n