Owl god vessel

In this vessel the owl god or probably the priest wearing owl mask is represented with his hands resting on his knees. Majority of vessels of Mochicas depicted owls and owl like anthromorphic forms. Much like many other cultures around the earth, the Mochica saw the owl as a creature associated with the underworld or with death. The bird priest or owl deity was depicted over and over again as one of the chief figures in the ceremonial sacrifices the Mochica have been linked to. Because of the amount of owls buried in the forms of jewellary, staffs, pottery, and paintings it is argued that the owl intermediated to help the dead reach the underworld or afterlife. It is indeed an important symbol to the Mochica.