Show Peruvians Had Ancient Cat God Indians Kin to Incas Ruled by Feline Deity WASHINGTON DC D.C. D.C.-A D.C. A great cal god dominated the people of Peru Peru's northern coast in prehistoric times The various peoples whose religion religion re reo ligion and art centered in this feline deity are described by Dr Raphael Raphae Larco Hoyle director of the museum mu seum scum of archeology at Trujillo Peru in a handbook on South American Amer ican lean Indians issued by the Smith Institutions Institution's bureau of American Ameri Amen can ethnology Most advanced of these people probably vaguely related to the Indians In who developed the Inca civilization civil in the Andes were the cas Presumably this cat god started start ed as a local deity but among the he was elevated into a supreme divinity He Is shown in Mochica art as ns a man with grea fangs a wrinkled face and catlike whiskers spreading from the nose This supreme supreme god Dr says apparently was considered a at ruling the destinies of the world bulhe but bul buthe he lived like people and could reveal himself both as a man and as a god That he is a human 1 I Si u I J t L L of in men en i Ul ot is oy uy me paintings on vessels with four faces on which human and feline faces laces are back to back and where the cat cateyes cateyes eyes are those of the divinity Numerous pottery vessels show the deity receiving sacrificed human hu man beings who are being thrown from rom a high cliff eliU He sits at the fool of the cliff receiving the blood ol of the victim as a precious offering He Is is shown In other pottery designs designs de de- de signs as a farmer shelling corn as asa asa a fisherman in a small balsa boat I as a n doctor and as a musician an ana anc anca a hunter He is pictured also holding holding hold hold- ing up the rainbow in the form ol 01 ola ola a two-headed two serpent and as a god of war whose Intervention Is necessary necessary essary for victory As a personification of good he fights demons pictured as vampire bats in the form of men sea demons a two-headed two dragon with one head headset headset headset set in his tail and a n serpent with I ears A court is often otten shown surrounding surround surround- ing the cat deity |