This unusual Costa Rican sculpture is of two
naked males wearing flat headdresses engaging
in a homosexual activity. Carved of basalt stone,
the sculpture is highly stylized and created in a
simple, minimal manner. The larger man stands
behind, with his hands firmly holding the
shoulders of the smaller man. Such pose
generates the feeling of tension, more of a power
play between the men than the sexual
connotation. Although such scene of
homosexual activity may have a certain
connotation for people today, the people of
Ancient Costa Rica had a quite different
interpretation. Wearing little clothing was a
symbol of high class for Ancient Costa Ricans
because only people who worked in the fields
had to wear clothing to protect their sensitive
areas such as the genital area. Costa Ricans also
considered sex as the unpredictable force, which
often leads to tension and destruction. Thus, sex
was naturally analogized with beings of
aggressive power, such as human males who
were often warriors, the fighting force in their
culture. Moreover, such activity had a ritualistic
significance. During ceremonies, a strong,
masculine warrior engaged in the sexual act with
another warrior of lesser power to transfer his
strength and virility. The basalt sculpture, then,
embodies more conception and symbolism than
just sex itself. Looking at this sculpture, we
realize that there are many different symbolism
of different cultures that need to be learned.
- (PF.3505)
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