The Colima are part of a group of archaeological cultures – known almost purely
from their artworks – referred to as the Western Mexico Shaft Tomb (WMST)
tradition. There are many distinct groups within this agglomeration, and their
relationships are almost totally obscure due to the lack of contextual
information.
All of the cultures encompassed under the WMST 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 urbanization, they developed very much in isolation,
and it behooves us to learn what we can from what they have left behind.
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. More abstract pieces – such as reclinatorios – probably had a
more esoteric meaning that is hard to recapture from the piece.
The current piece falls within the Colima style, which is perhaps the most
unusual stylistic subgroup of this region. Characterized by a warm, red glaze,
the figures are very measured and conservative, while at the same time
displaying a great competence of line. They are famous for their sculptures of
obese dogs, which seem to have been fattened for the table. Colima reclinatorios
are also remarkable, curvilinear yet geometric assemblages of intersecting planes
and enigmatic constructions in the semi-abstract.
This lovely vessel
falls into the latter category, and immediately
delights our senses with its whimsical charm and
rich burnished red surface. Designed to rest on
its tail, supported by two solid, slightly bent legs,
this fine creature appears to be howling or
calling through its beak or snout. It is a bird with
some reptilian qualities, full of character,
accomplished with remarkable minimalist
refinement. The artist obviously knew exactly
what effect he wanted to create; for there is more
life revealed in the absence of detail than if it
contained realistic features. Perhaps it was
meant to hold a certain type of liquor, or even a
healer's potion related to its shape. Whatever its
original purpose, this vessel is a work of art, due
to its elegant simplicity and its personality which
still gives joy and wonderment after hundreds of
years.
