In Moche belief, benevolent deities and spirits inhabited the peaks of mountains. In ceramic art, cult scenes frequently depict mountains with five peaks, on the tallest of which sits the God. This rare vessel evokes multiple layers of meaning, for its rounded body also resembles an abstract bird, perhaps a condor. At the pinnacle sits an owl, associated in Moche culture with wisdom, medicine, magic and the underworld. Though the meaning of such a ritual vessel has been lost to the centuries, we cannot help but feel its aura of powerful magic.