|
This imposing Jalisco seated figure of a warrior
dates to just before or after the start of the first
millennium AD, and pertains to a group of
archaeological cultures – known almost purely
from their artworks – referred to as the Western
Mexico Shaft Tomb tradition. All of the cultures
encompassed under this nomenclature were in
the habit of burying their dead in socially-
stratified burial chambers at the base of deep
shafts, which were in turn often topped by
buildings. Originally believed to be influenced by
the Tarascan people, who were contemporaries
of the Aztecs, thermoluminescence has pushed
back the dates of these groups over 1000 years.
Although the apogee of this tradition was
reached in the last centuries of the 1st
millennium BC, it has its origins over 1000 years
earlier at sites such as Huitzilapa and Teuchitlan,
in the Jalisco region. Little is known of the
cultures themselves, although preliminary data
seems to suggest that they were sedentary
agriculturists with social systems not dissimilar
to chiefdoms. These cultures are especially
interesting to students of Mesoamerican history
as they seem to have been to a large extent
outside the ebb and flow of more aggressive
cultures – such as the Toltecs, Olmecs and Maya
– in the same vicinity. Thus insulated from the
perils of urbanisation, it behoves us to learn
what we can from what they have left behind,
and
of these remains, it is perhaps the art that is the
most informative.
The arts of this region are enormously variable
and hard to understand in chronological terms,
mainly due to the lack of context. The most
striking works are the ceramics, which were
usually placed in graves, and do not seem to
have performed any practical function, although
highly decorated utilitarian vessels are also
known. It is possible that they were designed to
depict the deceased – they are often very
naturalistic – although it is more probable that
they constituted, when in groups, a retinue of
companions, protectors and servants for the
hereafter. The current piece falls within the
style known as the Ameca group, which is
characterised by elongated faces, turban-like
headwear, wide mouths, large hands, defined
nails and staring eyes with elevated rims. The
current piece is therefore a classic example of
the tradition. Insofar as theme is concerned, the
subject matter is likewise traditional. Just as in
other sophisticated social systems around the
world – such as the Egyptians or Dynastic China
–
figures were made to represent the sorts of
people and resources that might be needed in
the hereafter. They were in this sense symbolic
of actual people, who were buried with the
deceased as retainers in more sanguineous
Central and Southern American societies.
Seemingly supernatural figures are also known,
presumably representing aspects of Jalisco
cultural heritage (gods, spirits, ancestors,
mythological figures etc) that are currently
beyond our understanding, while maternity
figures are also fairly well-known. Of all the
groups, however, it is perhaps the warriors that
are the most dramatic, and this is a prime
example.
The figure is seated with hands resting on his
knees, and appears to be in a stance of
readiness. He is naked, except for two armbands
around his biceps and two studded bands
around
his calves. These, along with the head, fingers
and toes, are the only unpainted parts of the
figure. The hands and the feet are splayed, and
thus wide and spatulate, with the nails clearly
incised. The upper torso is likewise separated
from the midriff by incised lines. The head is
topped by a simple hat, and was once decorated
with black pigment that also marks the edge of
his hairline and his eyebrows. The head is
domed, the eyes staring and bulbous. This
expression, and the open mouth displaying the
teeth, conspires to lend an air of aggression and
readiness that is amusingly countermanded by
his large, protuberant ears. This is a beautifully
made and conceived piece of ceramic sculpture.
- (PF.2470 (LSO))
|
