Lambayeque funerary mask

Masks like this one were placed in the tombs of rulers along with hundreds of other grave goods, the purpose of which was to highlight the status of the deceased.
Some scholars believe that the figure depicted in this mask is Naylamp, the mythical founder of Lambayeque culture. It is probable that, at his death, the deceased individual wished to be identified as part of the royal lineage of Naylamp, as a way of conserving his social status, even after death.