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.
Portrayed with exceptional realism, this canine
was created as a burial object, its function to
accompany the deceased on his or her long
journey to the afterlife, the dog's spirit acting as
both guide and guard. This particular breed of
ancient canine is known as the Mexican hairless,
its wrinkled gray skin the color of stone giving it
the ancient name of Techichi (Tetl meaning
'stone,' Chichi meaning 'dog'). Poised on all
fours with spout-shaped tail upright, ears
perked and mouth open, this Techichi appears to
be suspended in motion. One can almost see his
ever-alert ears twitching and hear his high-
pitched bark, as he attentively guides his master
through the journey to the afterlife, the visible
teeth further enhancing his protective nature. A
stunning example of Colima artistry, this
sculpted canine expresses most ardently an
ancient people's extreme regard for, and intimate
relationship with the natural world that
surrounded them. Today, the spirit of this canine
most certainly lives on--we need only gaze into
the face of this Techichi to experience its age-
old guardian powers.
