Mochica cultural reconstructions have been based largely on the analysis of funerary ceramics that contain fineline thematic iconography but context has for the most part been ignored. Previous "ethnographic readings" of Moche fineline themes have not examined the content of non-funerary iconography in specific archaeological contexts, or the relationship between living and funerary iconography based on the contextual data. This investigation addresses these problematic issues by analyzing the artistic content found upon living-context ceramics from the sites of Pampa Grande, and the Huacas de Moche. The content is then examined in relation to funerary iconography, and the living contexts from which it was derived, testing the fundamental premises underlying reconstructions of the ancient Mochica culture.