There are many distinct groups within the agglomeration referred to as
the Western Mexico Shaft Tomb (WMST) tradition, foremost among them
the Jalisco, Nayarit, and Colima. Their relationships are almost totally
obscure due to the lack of contextual information. However, it is the
artworks that are the most informative. All of the cultures encompassed
under the WMST umbrella 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.
There are few cultures in the Americas or indeed elsewhere that can
match the Jalisco for exuberant skill in the production of figurative
ceramics. These wares 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. Many of the
figures represent warriors, judging from their apparel and martial
stance. These were probably protectors of the deceased, symbolic of
actual people who were buried with the deceased as retainers in more
sanguineous Central and Southern American societies. Supernatural and
more enigmatic figures are also known, presumably representing
aspects of Jalisco cultural heritage (gods, spirits, ancestors,
mythological figures etc) that cannot be understood at the present
time. However, perhaps the best-known style is that of the maternity
figure.
Ancient craftsmen in the state of Jalisco, located
in the west coast region of Mexico, produced a
dramatic array of art in clay, specializing in lively
and interesting sculptural figures. Here, an
extraordinary example of that artistry is revealed
in this dog effigy vessel. Portrayed with
immense charm and spirit, he stands on all fours
in an attentive pose. A delightfully rotund body
forms the main portion of the vessel, while his
small head displays a wide-open mouth. From
these jaws we expect at any moment to hear his
canine, staccato bark echoing down through the
ages. Clearly, this ceramic masterpiece
expresses wholeheartedly the intimate
relationship that the Jalisco culture shared with
the natural world that surrounded them.
