Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

Hundreds, if not thousands, of ceramic sculptures depicting figures, animals, plant life, miniature structures, and even groups of figures engaged in activities from daily and ritual life have been found as offerings in shaft tombs in the western Mexico states of Jalisco, Colima, and Nayarit. These tombs contain multiple burials, apparently used by a family or lineage over time. Though most figures were not found in controlled excavations, a number of styles and sub-styles have been associated with particular areas. This figure exhibits burnished surfaces, painted decorations, a triangular-shaped head, narrow eyes, and thick legs that end in a point—features that associate it with the Lagunillas style of Nayarit, a style formerly called Chinesco.