Bestiaire sacre et flore magique: Ecologie rituelle de l'iconographie de la culture Mochica, cote nord du Perou

Abstract

L'iconographie rituelle de la culture Mochica (100 av. J.C. a 700 ap. J.C.) est certainement l'une des plus fascinante de l'Amerique du sud. Les scenes peintes, modelees, sculptees ou tissees representent des sujets isoles et des scenes complexes avec un souci du detail et un dynamisme presqu'uniques.

Dans cette iconographie, un important bestiaire image existe: des mammiferes, des poissons, des reptiles, des insectes et des mollusques sont representes sous des formes naturelles et anthropomorphes. Dans un premier temps, cette these s'attache a demontrer que la selection de ces representants du milieu naturel n'est pas le fruit du hasard. En effet, les comportements culturels et rituels assignes a chacune des especes representees auraient ete etablis a partir des proprietes physiologiques, comportementales et biologiques qui leurs sont propres.

Afin de parvenir a identifier, documenter, et interpreter ces representants, une approche de type multidisciplinaire a ete adoptee. A chacune des etapes de la recherche, nous avons eu recours a des informations provenant des sciences naturelles (botanique, biologie, ethologie animale, meteorologie), de l'astronomie, de la medecine et des sciences humaines (anthropologie et ethnohistoire).

Dans un deuxieme temps, cette recherche s'est appliquee a tresser des liens entre les representations iconographiques et les donnees archeologiques. Cette approche a permis de decouvrir un site sacrificiel associe directement a la principale plate-forme ceremonielle des Mochicas (Huaca de la Luna). A l'aide de l'iconographie, il a ete egalement possible d'elucider certains des comportements rituels d'officiants religieux recemment decouverts dans des sepultures enfouies dans la Huaca de la Luna. Nous avons alors propose que l'utilisation de substances psychoactives faisait partie de la performance de rituels elabores. Ce groupe d'officiants, associe a ce centre ceremoniel, aurait alors utilise une substance hallucinogene a base de datura (Datura suavolens) afin d'experimenter l'extase dans le cadre d'un rituel de la fertilite agricole. Ce rituel comprenant l'observation des mouvements celestes de la voie lactee, de certains groupes d'etoiles et de la lune permettait de determiner le moment propice aux semailles.

Enfin un modele general qui regroupe, dans une perspective cosmogonique, les rapports entre la fertilite humaine, le sacrifice humain et les pratiques funeraires est propose. En plus de temoigner de l'existence d'une dichotomie sexuelle des activites rituelles, ce modele permet d'illustrer la presence d'un reseau de relations, pour ainsi symbiotiques, entre la mort, les ancetres et la fertilite dans son sens le plus absolu.

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The ritual iconography of the Mochica culture (100 BC to 700 AD) is certainly one of the most fascinating in South America. The painted, modeled, sculpted or woven scenes represent isolated subjects and complex scenes with an almost unique attention to detail and dynamism.

In this iconography, an important image bestiary exists: mammals, fish, reptiles, insects and molluscs are represented in natural and anthropomorphic forms. First, this thesis attempts to demonstrate that the selection of these representatives of the natural environment is not the result of chance. Indeed, the cultural behaviors and rituals assigned to each of the species represented would have been established from the physiological, behavioral and biological properties that are specific to them.

In order to succeed in identifying, documenting, and interpreting these representatives, a multidisciplinary approach was adopted. At each stage of the research, we used information from the natural sciences (botany, biology, animal ethology, meteorology), astronomy, medicine and human sciences (anthropology and ethnohistory).

In a second step, this research applied to weaving links between iconographic representations and archaeological data. This approach made it possible to discover a sacrificial site directly associated with the main ceremonial platform of the Mochicas (Huaca de la Luna). Using iconography, it was also possible to elucidate some of the ritual behaviors of religious officiants recently discovered in burials buried in the Huaca de la Luna. We then proposed that the use of psychoactive substances was part of the performance of elaborate rituals. This group of officiants, associated with this ceremonial center, would then have used a hallucinogenic substance based on datura (Datura suavolens) in order to experience ecstasy as part of an agricultural fertility ritual. This ritual, including the observation of the celestial movements of the Milky Way, of certain groups of stars and of the moon, made it possible to determine the right moment for sowing.

Finally, a general model which brings together, from a cosmogonic perspective, the relationships between human fertility, human sacrifice and funerary practices is proposed. In addition to testifying to the existence of a sexual dichotomy of ritual activities, this model makes it possible to illustrate the presence of a network of relations, thus symbiotic, between death, ancestors and fertility in its strongest sense. absolute.