This monograph examines animal sacrifice in the Moche culture of Peru. Twelve species of animals which were sacrificed are identified from archaeological remains. It compares the zooarchaeological data with the iconogrpahic corpus to show that animals served different ritual purposes, such as mortuary food and as guides for the deceaseds soul into the afterlife; they were also symbolically considered as mediators between the world of the living and the dead. French text.