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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Mezcala Art : Mezcala Stone Standing Figure
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Mezcala Stone Standing Figure - PF.6238
Origin: Guerrero, Mexico
Circa: 300
BC
to 300
AD
Dimensions:
4.125" (10.5cm) high
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Stone
$1,800.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
This sculpture exudes a force of the ages. It has
witnessed the passage of seasons and the
passage of civilizations. Like a miniature idol
from Easter Island, this stone figure stands with
open legs, arms held to the sides, and
protruding jaw and forehead. When inverted, this
sculpture of a human figure becomes the face of
a feline. The head transforms into the snout, the
arms into eyes, and the legs into ears. Jaguars
were revered in Mesoamerican culture as the
king of the jungle. It was traditionally believed
that shaman, or high priests, had the ability to
transmogrify into wild animals, thereby
controlling their powers. Perhaps this stone
sculpture is a physical representation of this
mystical ability to change oneself into another
being. Furthermore, the actual contours of the
statue echo the form of a phallus. Most likely,
this work would have been used as a ceremonial
pestle to grind up corn or wheat for ritual
festivities. Thus, as the women of the tribe
prepared the food, they would have held in their
hands the symbol of male fertility, linking the
immediate nourishment of the village with the
long-term survival of the species through
reproduction. All the while, invoking the favors
of the gods. The power present in this statue is
as real today as it was in ancient times. The vital
components of life never change. This image of
fertility, of nourishment, of the divine, is as
relevant to our reality as it was to those who
carved it.
- (PF.6238)
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