In the Nayarit tradition, simple images such as
this large seated female often had an underlying
funerary symbolism, appropriate for their
function as effigy figures in shaft tomb graves.
The traits which characterize the Chinesco style
of southwestern Nayarit (a flat, rounded, almost
heart-shaped head, and thin eye slits) have been
softened here. While her posture is typical of the
Chinesco seated figures, the artist has added
details, which make her much less stylized and a
great deal more realistic than is often seen in
such figures. The remnants of ancient paint
mark what appears to be a patterned garment
around her waist and hips, and clay has been
molded to form a large necklace, ear ornaments,
and a beaded (or knotted) belt. The details of
her toes and her hair contribute to the
individualistic, personal feeling of this
representation. Towards the end of the pre-
classic period in Ancient Meso-America, the
regions of Colima, Nayarit, and Jalisco in Western
Mexico became home to what has now been
termed the 'Shaft-Tomb' culture. These people
built tombs consisting of shafts 10-60feet deep
with several ovoid tombs branching either
directly off of the main shaft at various levels, or
connected to it by lateral tunnels. The burial
offerings, which filled these tombs, have become
our greatest link to this lost culture. The hollow
pottery figures which were commonly placed in
the tomb chambers show stylistic variations
between regions, giving us glimpses into the
cultural differences between these groups as well
as the beliefs, which they held in common.
- (PF.2917)
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