Name: Toroshuque
Artist: Enrique Casanto
Technique: Acrylic on canvas.
Dimensions: 69x31cm
 
Toroshuque — Moncho
Moncho was a warrior who lived among the river mud. He used his spine as an arrow, and when his enemies sought him out, he struck them from the depths. He was patient and cunning, familiar with the rhythms of the water. In the Asháninka worldview, catfish like Moncho are guardians of the riverbed, spirits who guard the secret of transformation. His teaching is not to attack head-on, but rather through intuition and silence: the power of the mud is the power of origin. The yellow staff with red feathers symbolizes the power of song or the puff of tobacco, a common element in Asháninka iconography.