Aiapæc Explained

Aiapæc (often written Ai Apaec, from Colonial Mochica aiapæc pronounced as /

• [ajapʷɨk]

/^[1] ′maker, God the Father′),^[2] Wrinkled Face,^[3] the snake-belted figure,^[4] or the god of the mountains,^{[5] [6]} is a mythical character identified in Moche iconography, and possibly the main Moche deity. According to some archaeologists, it may have been the most feared and adored of all punitive gods, worshipped as the creator god, protector of the Moche and provider of water, food and military triumphs.

The existence of such iconographic character was first proposed by archaeologist Rafael Larco Hoyle. Contemporary analysis have questioned that it may have been a single god, instead finding several mythological characters.^{[7] [8]}

Representations

The most common representation of Aiapæc is the one seen in the murals of the Temples of the Sun and the Moon, which present an anthropomorphic face with feline fangs surrounded by ocean waves. Aiapæc was represented in several ways, depending on the period, place and medium used. In metallurgy, for example, Aiapæc is often seen as a spider with eight legs and an anthropomorphic face with jaguar fangs. In ceramics, the divinity is often more anthropomorphic, usually with his head in his hands and sometimes with two snakes sprouting from his head. In sculpture, he is shown with a staff. It is said that during human sacrifices, prisoners were decapitated and their heads given to Aiapæc.

In popular culture

Ai Apaec is a villain in the Marvel Universe. He is depicted as having the torso of a human male (with snakes for hair and large fangs) and the lower body of an enormous spider. Recruited by Norman Osborn, he is given a special serum that changes him into a six-armed version of Spider-Man. In this form, he serves as a member of Osborn's second version of the Dark Avengers.^[9] He first appeared in Osborn #1 (2011). He also makes an appearance during the "Spider-Island" saga.^[10] In "Spider-Verse", a version of Ai Apaec from Earth 1771 was consumed by the inheritor Karn after being exiled from his family.

In Archie Comics' New Crusaders and The Jaguar, Ai Apaec is depicted as a jaguar god who empowers the superhero Jaguar.^[11]

See also

• Cultural depictions of spiders
• Jaguars in culture and mythology
• El Brujo
• Moche culture
• Huanchaco
• Trujillo, Peru
• Ai Apaec (comics)

References

• Art of the Andes, from Chavin to Inca. Rebecca Stone Miller, Thames and Hudson, 1995.
• The Incas and their Ancestors. Michael E. Moseley, Thames and Hudson, 1992.

External links

• Web site: Ai Apaec. Google Cultural Institute. en. — a Museo Larco media presentation
• www.huacas.com
• Sun and Moon Official Project information

Notes and References

1. Book: Eloranta-Barrera Virhuez, Rita . Mochica: grammatical topics and external relations . 2020 . LOT . 978-94-6093-348-6 . LOT Dissertations series . Amsterdam . 114, 124.
2. Gayoso Rullier . Henry Luis . 2014 . ¿POR QUÉ AIAPAEC Y CHICOPAEC NO SON NOMBRES DE DIOSES? . Chungará (Arica) . es . 46 . 3 . 345–354 . 10.4067/S0717-73562014000300003 . 0717-7356.
3. Book: Donnan, Christopher B. . Moche Art of Peru. Pre-Columbian Symbolic Communication . 1978 . Museum of Cultural History, University of California . Los Angeles, CA.
4. Book: Castillo Butters, Luis Jaime . Personajes míticos, escenas y narraciones en la iconografía mochica . 1989 . Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú . Lima.
5. Book: de Bock, Edward K. . Moche: hacia el final del milenio: Actas del Segundo Coloquio sobre la Cultura Moche, Trujillo, 1 al 7 de agosto de 1999 . Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú/ Universidad Nacional de Trujillo. . 2003 . Uceda . Santiago . 1 . Lima . 307–324 . es . Templo de la escalera y ola y la hora del sacrificio humano . Mujica . Elías.
6. Book: Uceda, Santiago . Señores de los reinos de la luna . 2008 . Banco de Crédito del Perú . 978-9972-837-19-7 . Makowski . Krzysztof . Colección arte y tesoros del Perú . Lima . 111–127 . En busca de los palacios de los reyes de Moche.
7. Prządka-Giersz . Patrycja . 2015 . Ai Apaec: ¿Una Divinidad Suprema Prehispánica O Una Manipulación En La Traducción Intercultural? . Politeja . 38 . 7–16 . 1733-6716.
8. Book: Makowski, Krzysztof . Dioses y creencias del Perú prehispánico = Gods and beliefs of Prehispanic Peru . 2022 . Erns & Young . 978-612-5043-31-3 . Lima . 290–491 . ¿Uno (Aiapaec) o muchos?: el debate sobre el panteón moche = One deity (Aipaec) or many? The debate on the Moche pantheon.
9. Dark Avengers #175
10. Spider-Island: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu
11. Keryl Brown Ahmed. Tango. Ellie Wright. The Jaguar. February 2023. Archie Comics.