The Lord of Sipán was at the top of the social and political structure of his time. He was considered a semi-divine character, as can be appreciated by the objects found and those buried with him.

Different garments and ornaments of the Lord of Sipan also appear in other representations of the Mochica world. Thus, we found the earrings with the sacred bird in the “purification ritual”, the cotton headgear in the “ritual races”, the metal plate robe in the "dance with rope", among others. Therefore it is presumed that the Lord of Sipan probably presided over every sacred event or government activity.

His deteriorated skeleton allows us to know that he died approximately when he was 40 years old, and with the exception of an incipient arthritis, he was healthy. His body structure shows he did little physical work, and the scarce teeth wear denotes a special regime, which allowed him to reach a height of 1.67 m (which is tall for his time). His physical particularities show a special lifestyle and inherited characteristics: he probably was part of a cast of noblemen who were used to inherit the power.

A sorrowful crowd of subjects, priests and warriors accompanied the solemn funeral of their lord, 1700 years ago. The Lord of Sipan was buried following complex rituals with all of his goods, supplies, offerings and persons who accompanied him in his trip to eternal life. When the Lord of Sipán was alive and had all his glow, he represented the divine power on earth, and his burial reflects his hierarchy and power.

In the center of the funeral chamber there was the royal sarcophagus made of wood, and inside was the skeleton of the Lord of Sipán. Eight persons with different ranks, ornaments and garments were buried surrounding the royal sarcophagus in the different levels found.

The first sacrifice offered included two llamas placed on both sides of the sarcophagus, and the body of a child as a symbol of regeneration lies in a corner. A cane coffin of one of the young wives was found at the head of the royal sarcophagus. Two more coffins were found on the sides; one of them contained the body of the military chief covered with arms and copper emblems, and the other contained the body of the standard bearer with royal symbols and a dog. The main wife wearing a copper crown was found at the feet of the Lord of Sipan’s coffin, and a third woman was found on the upper part of the coffin, whose left foot had been amputated and she was wearing a shell breastplate. Then the chamber was sealed with carob tree beams and was covered. A lookout rests on one of the walls, and the body of a guard was found within the filling.

When the Lord of Sipán was alive, he wore different ornaments, emblems and garments for different occasions and ceremonies. These garments were the symbol of his high rank, semi-divine investiture and power. At the time of his death, a diversity of goods were included as part of his funerary belongings to accompany him to the dead’s world, where according to the Mochica religion, he would continue to carry out the same roles and functions. Let us now see this diversity of jewels, ornaments and emblems.