A stirrup-spout vessel symbolically depicts the Peruvian maize and creator god Ai Apaec, whose body is shaped like an ear of corn.

On the god’s head rests a crescent-shaped diadem, a sign of the moon goddess who was responsible for the growth of maize plants. These vessels were used in the Moche culture of Peru for practical, artistic, and ritual purposes and were often decorated with detailed imagery. Come and admire this and many other works of art from times long past at the PANEUM.