Vessel depicting the deity Ai Apaec emerging from a corn cob. Peru, Moche civilization, 1-800 AD [4000×3000]

[Museum](https://coleccion.museolarco.org/detail/3291). A mythological episode of the heroic saga of Ai Apaec is represented in this sculptural ceramic bottle. Ai Apaec (so named by Rafael Larco, meaning “the maker” in Muchik language) is the Moche mythological personage characterized by a belt and ear ornaments with snake heads, fangs in his face, and a headdress that varies according to the context in which he is located as part of his quest. Ai Apaec returns from his trip to the underworld, manifesting in the form of plants associated with the solar and external world. In this ritual ceramic bottle Ai Apaec emerges from cobs of corn (Zea mays), golden fruit from which the chicha, the ceremonial beverage of the Andes, was produced.