How to Slay (Literally) in the Underworld If You Were Incan

Machu Picchu Exhibit. Courtesy of Australian Museum

Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru has touched down at the Australian Museum in Sydney, and it’s open until Feb. 28, 2025.

If you’re a history buff, a culture vulture, or just love staring at shiny ancient things, this is your moment.

Among the exhibit’s jaw-dropping treasures are artifacts tied to the afterlife, including a silver knife used in human sacrifices (yep, you read that right) and varieties of gold and other implements.

It’s a wild ride into the spiritual drama of ancient Peru, and trust me, the Moche people were not playing around when it came to the underworld.

Moche Warriors Chilling Around 100–700 AD

So, let’s say you’re a Moche warrior chilling around 100–700 AD, and you’re about to fight in a ritual called tinkuy. Forget the glory of war or the spoils of battle, this ceremonial combat had one goal: selecting who’d be sent to the gods as a sacrificial VIP.

The stakes were high, and losing meant more than just bruised pride. It meant getting captured, stripped of your warrior cred, and prepared for a ritual offering.

Think less “epic war hero” and more “guest star in an ancient sacrifice drama.”

Moche art, famous for its incredibly detailed ceramics and murals, doesn’t hold back on documenting these events.

You can picture defeated warriors bound and humiliated, paraded around in full view of the community, and then ritually sacrificed.

It’s gory, intense, and incredibly fascinating.

Their ultimate fate? Having their hearts cut out—yep, that’s the big finale.

The Heart Is the Ultimate Moche Power Source

Why the heart, you ask? Well, for the Moche, the heart wasn’t just an organ; it was the ultimate power source.

It represented courage, life, and everything that made a warrior worthy of the gods’ attention.

By offering it up in sacrifice, the Moche believed they were releasing that life force to keep the cosmos ticking.

The gods got their dues, the universe stayed balanced, and the crops (hopefully) kept growing.

The Celestial VIP Room

But here’s the twist: for those sacrificed, the underworld wasn’t a scary punishment zone. In fact, it was kind of the opposite.

The Moche believed the sacrificed warriors were elevated to a special place in the afterlife, a sort of celestial VIP lounge where they continued to serve the gods in spiritual form. Their deaths were seen as noble, not tragic, and their spirits became part of the cosmic machinery that kept the world running.

The Moche’s underworld wasn’t just some random afterlife; it was a layered, complex space where transformation and honour awaited those who entered.

Sacrificial victims weren’t mourned but celebrated for their role in the grand cosmic order. Their immortality wasn’t about lounging on clouds, it was about becoming intermediaries between the human world and the divine, ensuring fertility, balance, and harmony for the living.

Cosmic Commitment of the Incas

From a modern perspective, this all sounds like a mix of horror movie plotlines and intense spiritual devotion. But for the Moche, it was just how things worked.

Life, death, and the gods were intricately connected, and sacrifice was an essential part of maintaining the delicate balance of the universe.

Sure, it’s bloody and dramatic, but it’s also kind of awe-inspiring when you think about the level of cosmic commitment these people had.

So, next time you’re wandering through the Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru exhibit and come across that sacrificial, take a moment to appreciate the Moche’s worldview.

Those warriors weren’t just victims; they were cosmic key players, ensuring their people’s survival while securing their own immortality.

Whether you’re a history nerd, an ancient-culture fangirl, or just here for the gory details, the Moche’s sacrificial rituals remind us of how deeply humans have always been connected to questions of life, death, and the great unknown.

Ancient drama? Absolutely. And honestly, it’s fascinating.