Short Description:
A Pre-Columbian terracotta figure seated cross-legged, adorned with a tall, ornate headdress and wearing ear spools and a draped scarf.
Dimensions:
Height: 13 cm
Width: 5 cm
Depth: 5 cm
Longer Description:
This expressive terracotta figure represents a seated individual from a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture, most likely from the Nayarit or Jalisco region of Western Mexico, dated approximately between 300 BCE and 300 CE. The figure is sculpted in a traditional cross-legged posture, typical of shaft tomb effigies associated with ancestor veneration and burial offerings.
Notable features include the intricately wrapped headdress in a darker clay tone, suggesting ceremonial or social status, and large circular earspools. A red-pigmented scarf or pectoral adorns the neck, draping down the front of the torso, emphasizing the individual’s importance. Facial features are stylized, with closed almond eyes, a flattened nose, and defined brows.
The surface shows traces of original pigmentation in red and grey, a signature of West Mexican terracotta work. The hollowed interior and drilled top of the headdress—possibly once used for inserting feathers—indicate the figure’s ritual use. Viewed from behind, the piece maintains careful anatomical shaping, further attesting to its ceremonial value and skilled craftsmanship.
A fine example of ancient Mesoamerican art, this figure offers a meaningful connection to ancestral traditions and burial practices of early Western Mexico.