Mini Guia Prehispanica Ingles

A Tour of
Museo Amparo
The Pre-Columbian
Collection
A Tour of
Museo Amparo:
The Pre-Columbian
Collection
Text | Pablo Escalante Gonzalbo

Photography | Juan Carlos Varillas Contreras
Contents
Museo Amparo Directory
General Director | Lucia I. Alonso Espinosa

Executive Director | Ramiro Martínez Estrada
Administrator | Martha Laura Espinosa Félix
Collections | Carolina Rojas Bermúdez
Interpretation and Difussion | Silvia Rodríguez Molina
Maintenance | Agustín Reyero Muñoz
Museography | Andrés Reyes González
Guide Credits
Text | Pablo Escalante Gonzalbo

Photography | Juan Carlos Varillas Contreras
Graphic Design | Deborah Guzmán
Mural | Enrique Torralba
Coordination | Silvia Rodríguez Molina
Spanish Copyediting | Claudia Cristell Marín Berttolini and
María Elena Téllez Merino
English Translation and Copyediting | Michelle Suderman
10 Gallery 1 / One Space, One time
and Claudia Cristell Marín Berttolini
Printing | Offset Santiago 25 Gallery 2 / The Religious World
d.r. © 2019 Fundación Amparo IAP
isbn 978-607-98306-3-2 39 Gallery 3 / Bodies, Faces, People
Second edition 2019
55 Gallery 4 / Society and Customs
Cover:
Mixtec lintel depicting the rain gods and
their possible ritual functionaries
75 Gallery 5 / Language and Writing
Mixtec
Late Postclassic. 1200-1521 A.D.
Mixtec region
81 Gallery 6 / Art, Form, Expression
Carved stone
92 Gallery 7 / Death
106 Gallery 8 / Cultural changes: the 16th century
2 Sur 708, Centro Histórico, Puebla, Pue.,

México 72000 Tel + 52 (222) 229 3850
Open Wednesday to Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
www.museoamparo.com
MuseoAmparo.Puebla MuseoAmparo museoamparo museoamparo

Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 5
Bodies, Faces, People
A Tour of
Museo Amparo: Main Floor
The Pre-Columbian
Collection Society
and Geometric Patio
Customs
The
Religious
World
Mayan throne
backrest
Maize
Language Patio
and Writing
Art,
Form,
Expression
Art Timeline
Pre-Columbian Patio
i Ticket desk
Entrance to the
Death
Pre-Columbian
Collection
Lobby
Auditorium
Arch. Pedro Ramírez Vázquez
Cultural changes:
the 16th century
Gift Shop
Main Entrance
The Pre-Columbian
Collection at
Museo Amparo
Our ancestors built the cities of Teotihuacán and Monte
Albán, wrote the hieroglyphic texts of Palenque and
Yaxchilán, and created a community of customs, ideas,
institutions, and commerce that linked its various regions.
It was an era that produced a vast and varied cultural
heritage. People visiting this exhibit will be able to
experience a sample of this wealth.
Museo Amparo is home to a large collection of
artistic, ceremonial, luxury, and funerary objects, with an
emphasis on pieces from Western Mexico, the Balsas
River basin, and certain sites in the Valley of Mexico such
as Tlatilco, Teotihuacán, Tula, and Tenochtitlan. There are
also examples from Central Veracruz, the Usumacinta
River basin, Campeche, the Oaxaca Valley, and other
areas. This variety allows us to learn about some of the
characteristics of Mesoamerican civilization as a whole: its
religious thought, economic life, customs, aesthetics, and
writing systems.
We would like to invite our visitors to reflect on
the themes addressed in the different galleries and
showcases, and also to appreciate the intrinsic value of
each piece. We hope you will find that Museo Amparo
presents an exceptional approach to Pre-Columbian art.
8 Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 9

One Space, 1. Throne backrest
This extraordinary sculpture once was the backrest of the
throne of a Mayan king. The figure on the right is likely a
One Time representation of the king who used this throne around
the year 800 a.d. His posture, leaning to one side with
his elbow on his knee as he either listened or spoke to
GALLERY 1
an interlocutor, is an exemplary representation of rulers in

Mayan art. Another common trait is the frontal portrayal of
the ruler, while other court members are shown in profile.
The noble person on the left seems to be a woman, and
between them, there is a supernatural creature.
We often pay a lot of attention to the great This piece is from the Usumacinta River basin, within
achievements of our ancestors: their intellectual the Piedras Negras area of influence.
or architectural accomplishments, their powerful
empires. And indeed, all these are things worth
admiring. We also think of the past as the sediment
or root from which our present grows. We see the
indigenous period as the past tense of our land.
With the mural in this first gallery, we hope to
start a reflection on the Pre-Columbian period as a
process that began with the domestication of plants
and continued through a long cycle that ended with
the Spanish Conquest. Each section of the mural
depicts some of that era’s main accomplishments
and practices.
The map shows only a small selection
of the thousands of sites occupied by indigenous
cultures, but still gives us an inkling of the vast
territory that once made up what we now know as
Pre-Columbian Mexico or ancient Mexico.
Throne backrest with a sovereign, a courtier

(possibly a woman) and a deity in the center
Maya. Late Classic. 600-909 A.D.
Piedras Negras region, Usumacinta River
Limestone sculpted in round bulk

MESOAMERICA’S HISTORICAL PROCESS /
PANEL 1
Around the year 5000 b.c., groups of hunters and

gatherers inhabiting the territory that now makes up
Mexico intensified their manipulation of food plants by
cultivating and thus initiating the domestication of corn
and beans. Other plant species were soon added,
including squash, chili, and avocado. Between 5000
and 2000 b.c., these groups grew into agricultural
settlements. This marked the beginning of the history of
Mesoamerican civilization, which would develop in the
regions that enjoyed the most rainfall—in other words,
Central, South and Coastal Mexico.
Just as wheat and rice were important in Europe and
Asia, corn was the cereal in which the Mesoamerican diet
was based.
Mesoamerican agriculture used complex technology
that increased the land’s yield through the manipulation
of soil and water. On hills, terraces were built to create
level fields, control erosion, and to enable the adequate
circulation of water. In lake zones such as the Valley of
Mexico, artificial islands known as chinampas allowed for
high agricultural yields.
In order to build a chinampa, a rectangular fence
would be staked to the lake bed, so that it emerged
above the water’s surface. The fenced-in area would
be filled with mud and aquatic plants, becoming more
and more compact under the weight of each new load
of soil until it formed a rich, porous bed. In addition, this
bed would be anchored by the roots of the trees planted
around its edges. People in the Valley of Mexico used
chinampas to cultivate the staple crops of Mesoamerica,
as well as flowers.
Pottery emerged in Mesoamerica around 2500 b.c.
The vessel shown in the mural is a design typical to the
Preclassic period. A similar vessel is on display in
the Museum.
12 Gallery 1 / One Space, One Time Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 13
The artisan depicted in the mural’s first panel is
wearing the typical garment of a Mesoamerican man, a
loincloth that the Nahuas called a máxtlatl. This was a
band made out of cotton or other fibers that surrounded
the waist and draped down in the front and back to
cover the buttocks and genitals. The man is shown sitting
GALLERY 1
on his heels, which was the usual resting position for
Mesoamerican men.
The beautiful flamingo is just one of the many species
of terrestrial animals, fish, and birds that inhabited the lake
region of the Valley of Mexico.

PANEL 2
Agricultural prosperity, storable surpluses, and social

diversification contributed to the urbanization of
Mesoamerica over just a few centuries.
Teotihuacán was the largest and most dominant city,
and the seat of a great imperial power. It had pavement,
drainage, solid dwellings, twenty square kilometers of
surface area, and 200,000 inhabitants. People lived in
residential complexes with a single entrance from the
street and several patios; each was home to as many as
twenty people. Rooms were grouped around the different
patios, with a family living in each room. The rooms
around each patio were likely occupied by brothers along
with their wives and children.
One of Mesoamerica’s most important craft activities
was textile production, usually carried out by women.
Fiber would be spun on a wooden spindle used with a
spindle whorl called a malacate; this was a circular clay
weight with a perforation in the center.
Weaving was performed on a backstrap loom,
which was attached to a house pole and then around
the weaver’s waist so she could create tension. Once the
warp was taut and ready, the weaver would pass the
shuttle back and forth to form the weave.

Huipiles, skirts, sashes, and loincloths were fabricated
on household looms. The weavers would talk amongst
themselves as they worked, a practice that was
doubtlessly crucial to the preservation of customs and
traditions.

PANEL 3
Mesoamerican religion developed gradually from the

time of the first agricultural settlements. Offerings were a
key religious practice, with blood being one of the most
common, which usually soaked up dried grasses or
papers that were burned afterwards.
The woman in this scene is holding some papers
impregnated with blood, ready to be burned as an
offering. This design comes from the artwork of Yaxchilán.
Smoke rises from a brazier at the top of the temple,
which is based on the famed Temple of the Inscriptions in
Palenque.
Mesoamerican cultures had different ways of recording
their religious beliefs, astronomical and calendrical
calculations, and historical events. The most complete
record came after the development of writing, especially in
the Mayan region. The hieroglyphic inscriptions decorating
this panel are also from Yaxchilán.
PANEL 4
There is no such thing as civilization without commerce:

exchange enriches and completes society, paving the way
for urban life and linking different regions. It is one of the
fundamental components of civilization.
Mesoamerican merchants traveled in caravans,
making long journeys that lasted for many days in order to
transport products from one region to another. There were
no beasts of burden, so they had to do this on foot. The
strongest and youngest merchants would carry bundles
weighing up to seventy pounds. This was achieved
through the use of the mecapal: a woven fiber band worn
across the forehead, with each end attached to a small
wooden structure that laid against the bearer’s back, to
which the bundle would be tied.
Merchandise from remote districts would be sold in the
cities’ public squares. Such markets were called tianquiztli
in Nahuatl, the root of the modern Mexican word, tianguis,
or temporary market. Many simple items were also sold in
the squares, such as basketry chests called petlacalli, and
woven fiber mats that served both as beds and as floor
coverings in all houses during that period. These were
known as pétlatl, the root of the Mexican word petate.
The buildings lining the large urban market squares
included warehouses, courts, palaces, and temples.
The quechquémitl was a female garment used both for
adornment and for warmth, and was a complement of the
huipil. It was rhomboidal in shape, with one point hanging
over the chest in the front, and the other hanging down
the back.
PANEL 5
Seated on their thrones made of reeds and basketwork,

called icpalli in Nahuatl (the root of the Mexican word
equipal), governors held absolute power, attenuated only
by the council of elders, noblemen, and warriors. Palaces
were usually crowned with battlements, and had spacious
patios and long colonnades.
In the final phase of Mesoamerican history,
military activity was one of the government’s primary
responsibilities, and the sovereign presented himself
as the army’s supreme commander. Round shields or
bucklers known as chimalli in Nahuatl were present at
every ceremony as symbols of power, but they were also
effective defensive weapons for deflecting enemy arrows.
The ichcahuipilli was another element of indigenous
weaponry: this was a vest stuffed with cotton that
impeded the penetration of arrowheads and protected
against the obsidian blades inserted into wooden swords,
known as macuáhuitl. The Spaniards also adopted this
lightweight and sturdy indigenous defensive garment.
The war that Hernán Cortés’s army waged against the
Mexica Empire allowed the Spanish Crown to assimilate
many ancient lordships. Technical advantages such as
the use of horses and cannons were decisive factors, but
there were also many indigenous groups, enemies of the
Mexicas, who decided to ally with the Spaniards.
El Vallecito
Caborca
Baja California
Paquimé
Sonora Cueva de la Olla
Cuarenta casas
Chihuahua
Cueva de
la Pintada
Boca San Julio Coahuila
Baja California Sur

Loma San Gabriel
Cueva del Cañón Angosto
Boca de Potrerillos
Cueva de la Candelaria
Nuevo León
Culiacán Durango
Sinaloa
Tamaulipas Gulf of Mexico
La Ferrería (Schroeder)
Balcón de
Moctezuma San Antonio Nogalar
Altavista
Zacatecas
La Quemada
Las Flores
San Luis Potosí
Monte de Huma
Nayarit Aguascalientes
Tamuín
Tamtoc
Amapa Villa de Reyes
Río Verde
Ixtlán del Río Dzibilchaltún
Guanajuato Ranas Yucatán

Teuchitlán Toluquilla Castillo de Teayo Chichen Itzá
Cobá
Querétaro Tajín
Mayapán
Hidalgo Uxmal Tulum
Jalisco Zacapu
Chupícuaro Yohualichan
Sayil
Labná
Tuxcacuesco State Tula
of Teotihuacán Edzná
Tzintzuntzan
Mexico Tlatilco TlaxcalaCantona
Cempoala
Quintana Roo
Pátzcuaro Tlatelolco Tizatlán
Calixtlahuaca Tenochtitlan Cacaxtla
Colima Capacha Cuicuilco
CDMX Campeche
Los Ortices
Teotenango
Malinalco
Cuauhnáhuac
Cholula
Cuauhtinchan
Veracruz
Michoacán Xochicalco
Morelos Valle de Tehuacán
La Mojarra
Tres Zapotes
Dzibanché
Chalcatzingo Comalcalco Xpuhil
Puebla La Venta
Calakmul
Xochipala
Teopantecuanitlán
Coixtlahuaca Tabasco
Oxtotitlán San Lorenzo
Soledad de Maciel
Juxtlahuaca Huijazoo San José Mogote Palenque
Guerrero Dainzú Yagul
Monte Albán Mitla
Lambityeco
Toniná Yaxchilán
Mirador Bonampak
Southeast North Oaxaca Chiapas
Yucatán Querétaro
Quintana Roo Baja California Sur
Campeche Baja California
Tabasco Sonora
Chiapas Chihuahua
Coahuila
Oaxaca Nuevo León
Durango
Guerrero Zacatecas
Aguascalientes
West
Sinaloa
Nayarit
Jalisco
Colima
Guanajuato
Michoacán
Center
State of Mexico
Mexico City (CDMX)
Tlaxcala
Puebla
Morelos
Hidalgo
Mesoamerica
Gulf Coast
Arid America
Tamaulipas
San Luis Potosí
Oasisamerica
22 Veracruz Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 23
ANCIENT MEXICO, MESOAMERICA
Ancient Mexico was home to a huge variety of cultures.

The Religious World
The greatest difference is found between the hunters and
gatherers of the North, and the cultivators of the South.
The present-day states of Baja California, Baja California
GALLERY 2
Sur, Coahuila, and Nuevo León were largely populated by
gatherers, as were Sonora and Chihuahua, and parts of
Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí. Some call
this vast region “Arid America.”
Mesoamerica is the name given to the central and
southern regions of what is now known today as Mexico, In contrast to our present time, most everyday
where the Mesoamerican civilization developed. From life experiences had some religious meaning for
Central America to the Sinaloan coast in the West, and the cultures of ancient Mexico. Many moments of the
Tamaulipas in the East, there was intensive agriculture that day called for an offering to be made, or for some
created enough surplus to sustain an urban population. other kind of ritual to be performed.
The different regions of Mesoamerica maintained constant
In the vast geographical area of Mesoamerican
connections throughout history by means of commerce,
migration, marriages among the nobility, and even
civilization, there was not a unifying religious text
war. Such relationships allowed different ethnic groups like the Bible or the Koran, nor was there a prophet
to consolidate a common culture, religious thought, accepted by all, although Quetzalcóatl was a figure
mythology, and other cultural traits such as the ballgame, of great renown in every region. The Mesoamerican
human sacrifice, the use of codices, and the combined religious unity, which is undoubtable, was based
260-day and 365-day calendars. on oral tradition and practices passed on from
One strip of Northern Mesoamerica was characterized generation to generation, and from one region to
by its instability: there were urban settlements in another.
Querétaro linked to Teotihuacán which were later Certain components of the Mesoamerican
deserted, as well as several settlements in the
religious thought—such as the idea of the sacred
mountainous regions of Zacatecas and Durango that were
abandoned centuries before the Conquest. This northern
mountain that provided humanity with water and
zone is sometimes called Marginal Mesoamerica. riches—can be documented in images dating as far
Finally, the term Oasisamerica refers to several back as 1000 b.c. Mesoamerican religious life also
agricultural settlements with a distinct culture from that included ancient and important rites such as burnt
of Mesoamerica, situated along small rivers and ravines offerings of copal resin, blood, and human sacrifice.
surrounded by arid zones; some were in Chihuahua, while
others occupied areas of what is now the United States,
such as Arizona and Colorado.
MANKIND FACING THE FORCES OF THE WORLD
The natural world, the movement of celestial bodies,

the power of floods or whirlwinds were all seen as
expressions of the forces animating the world. And on
occasion, such forces could be terrible: for example, Weasel
GALLERY 2
Veracruz
when manifested in the form of the roar of a wild animal. Late Classic. 600-900 A.D.
Many tales and fragments from the oral tradition Southern Veracruz
recorded during the Colonial era reflect a certain fear Modeled clay with incised
decoration
towards the natural world, especially those areas far away
from towns or villages, such as forests and ravines.
1. Woman carrying a vessel using a head strap and

a weasel
It was common practice to leave the village in search
of water or firewood. Far from home, wayfarers were
exposed to the uncertainties brought on by the transit of
sacred forces. For example, it was considered bad luck if
Snake
a weasel crossed one’s path. Mezcala tradition
Late Preclassic-Late Classic.
500 B.C.-900 A.D.
Middle Balsas River basin
Carved and polished stone
Woman carrying a vessel

using a head strap
Shaft tomb tradition. Peccary shaped vessel
Elephantine style Tlatilco
Late Preclassic-Early Classic. Middle Preclassic, Manantial
300 B.C.-600 A.D. phase. 1000-800 B.C.
Jalisco Valley of Mexico
Modeled clay with pastillage Modeled and polished clay
26 Gallery 2 / The Religious World Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 27

MYTHS AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF ORDER
Myths may seem like fantastic and even outlandish tales

to our ears, but they were an essential tool for explaining
Squatting hunchback
and describing the order of the world. Since remote Shaft tomb tradition
times, the cultures of Mesoamerica explained every Ameca-Etzatlán style
GALLERY 2
Late Preclassic-Early Classic.
geographical, biological, and even psychological or moral 300 B.C.-600 A.D.
event through stories in which sacred forces had names Jalisco
Modeled clay with pastillage,
and responsibilities of their own. engobes and burnishing
2. Votive axe sculpture of a plump-cheeked old man

Mexico’s ancient cultures considered old age as a
strength, as many rural communities still do. Elders
were seen as strong, wise, and full of the sacred
warmth that accumulates in the soul. Among their many
responsibilities and privileges, it was their job to remember
and retell the myths that constituted a given community’s
religious thought.
Seated man
Teotihuacan
Early Classic. 200-600 A.D.
City of Teotihuacán
Modeled clay; molded face
THE STRUCTURE OF THE COSMOS
Plants and animals, mankind and its crops and villages,

all these things existed on the earthly plane, at the center
of a system of layers or levels. The upper levels were
identified with masculine, solar and dry forces, while the
levels of the underworld were related to feminine, lunar
and humid forces.
Communication among these worlds occurred by
means of the vertical supports joining them, allowing
“Hacha”. Votive axe sacred forces to act and interact on the terrestrial level.
sculpture of a plump- Some representations included five supports: one at the
cheeked old man
El Tajín culture center and one at each corner of an imaginary square. In
Epiclassic. 850-1000 A.D. reality, all trees, mountains and ravines were considered
Papaloapan River basin,
Veracruz to be channels or structures for communication among
Carved volcanic stone sacred forces.

3. Architectural decoration with four-petaled flower
and Napatecuhtli
A circular stone with a hole in the center was a symbol
of the place occupied by human beings in the center of
the world. The main communicating supports, situated
at the four corners of the earthly plane, could be
GALLERY 2
represented as trees, as reptiles standing upright, or as
images of anthropomorphic gods. We present here one of
the napatetecuhtin, the lords of the four directions.
Napatecuhtli
Architectural decoration with Nahua. Mexica style
four-petaled flower Late Postclassic.
Teotihuacan 1350-1521 A.D.
Early Classic. 200-600 A.D. Central Mexico Plateau
Valley of Mexico, probably Stone sculpted in round bulk
Carved stone with relief

4. Feline FEMALE, FERTILIZATION, WEAVING
Felines symbolized the nocturnal underworld in the same
way that eagles and birds represented the celestial world. In ancient Mexico, deities were believed to have created
Snakes also emerged from the underworld, and when the earth from a gigantic female reptile, thus linking the
they stood upright and were covered with feathers or underworld to the feminine principle: agricultural land,
fur, they represented the communicating supports. fertile soil, wet subsoil. Beneath the surface laid the
GALLERY 2
feminine principle with great potential for reproduction. It
only required downward perforation and fertilization with
the warm, solar seed.
5. Group of spindle whorls

In addition to their technical function, each spindle whorl
resembles a tiny cosmogram. A shaft traverses the
center, and the spinning element forms the yarn, just as
the forces that created the world trace circles around the
world’s supports.
Feline in a resting attitude

Shaft tomb tradition.
Comala style
300 B.C.-600 A.D. Colima
Modeled clay with engobe
and burnishing
Coiled water snake

Shaft tomb tradition. Comala
style
300 B.C.-600 A.D. Malacates (spindle whorls)
Colima with different designs
Modeled and incised clay Modeled and incised clay

HUMAN CELEBRATIONS
Rituals and ceremonies held in front of temples may

be viewed as the triumph of religious rationality over
the natural world. By understanding the character and
function of sacred forces, given that their effects were
GALLERY 2
described in religious calendars, human beings carried
out rituals that allowed them to contribute to that sacred
Dignitary with a headdress
order. of conical shapes and a
necklace of shells or pods
6. Drinking man Shaft tomb tradition.
Comala style
Banquets were an important part of traditional indigenous Late Preclassic-Early Classic.
celebrations. Long nocturnal feasts would be held after 300 B.C.-600 A.D.
Colima
certain political rites, family ceremonies or calendrical Modeled and burnished clay
rituals as a pleasurable reward that brought the ritual itself with sgraffito
to an end. The conventional representation of someone
drinking pulque is a figure raising a bowl to the mouth. OFFERINGS TO THE GODS
The most important religious act was the presentation of

offerings to the gods; such gifts were their nourishment.
Offerings were presented on plates and in cups, on
braziers, at the base of religious platforms, in temples and
upon altars.
The most common offerings were copal, flowers, and
human or animal blood.
ESSENCES, AROMAS, FIRE
The gods are invisible, light and volatile. They inhabit

things for a time, then leave them and continue on their
way, moving up and down through the world’s strata. In
order to nourish them, they must be presented with an
offering linked to their nature, something they can absorb
Drinking man and appropriate. This is why Mesoamerican offerings
style were always made through combustion or gasification.
Late Preclassic-Early Classic. Deities were only able to absorb the essences of things:
300 B.C.-600 A.D.
Colima
the fragrance of flowers, or the smoke or smells of other
Modeled and burnished clay offerings.

7. Incense burner BLOOD OFFERING
Every morning at dawn, embers would be stirred into
flames in household and temple braziers, then finely Blood offerings were seen as particularly valuable,
powdered copal resin crystals would be sprinkled over because what was presented to the gods was the same
them. A crackling sound would be heard, then fragrant substance that nourished and gave life to animals and
white copal smoke would rise in dense clouds from the humans. This offering was practiced not by the entire
GALLERY 2
coals. In a sense, this was a succulent breakfast for population, but rather by priests and on occasion by a
the gods. noble or warrior.
The copal offering would be repeated at different times After being sacrificed, the blood of quails or other birds
throughout the day and during specific ceremonies. Using would be gathered using balls of straw or grass. The most
incense burners, the aromatic smoke could be directed at valuable blood for offerings was human blood. After being
a specific individual or image. spilled, all the blood would have to be burnt or scorched,
because by being transformed into smoke, it became
nourishment for the gods.
8. Anthropomorphic figure with incision in thorax

and abdomen
Incense burner with handle
Human sacrifice produced the most valuable offering of
and tray all: the victim’s still-beating heart, and sometimes other
Classic. 200-900 A.D. organs, would be extracted from the body, and the
Modeled clay with matte
engobe resulting blood would be smeared over temple altars and
walls so that its odor might be absorbed by the gods. In
the end, the heart would be incinerated.
Anthropomorphic figure
with incision in thorax and
abdomen
Xochipala tradition
God of Fire Early Preclassic-Middle
Teotihuacan Preclassic. 1200-900 B.C.
Early Classic. 200-600 A.D. Middle Balsas River basin
City of Teotihuacán Modeled and incised clay with
Sculpted stone pastillage

THE BALLGAME
One of the ceremonies that could precede a human

Bodies, Faces, People
sacrifice was the ballgame, juego de pelota in Spanish.
This game was in fact a complex ritual that involved much
more than human sacrifice. It has been suggested that
GALLERY 3
the rubber ball’s movement through the air as it traversed
the court both symbolized and magically stimulated the Mesoamerican artists left behind extraordinary
sun’s apparent movement over the earth. examples of their skilled representation of the human
The ritual ballgame was played on special courts, and
body. Throughout Mesoamerica, from the Olmec
the players were usually warriors. The notion that winning
or losing the game determined who would be sacrificed
period to the time of the Mexica, they were incessant
seems to have no foundation in reality. Nevertheless, it is producers of images of human beings and their
true that some prisoners would be ceremonially sacrificed expressions. Stone sculptures, clay figures and mural
through decapitation after a game. paintings were the three most common media for
Players would wear leather pads to avoid injury by the anthropomorphic representations.
heavy rubber ball. One of such protectors was a thick belt. Most human figures were representations of
It is also true that, in addition to the ritual and official the dead, of governors, priests or gods, and by and
game, it would also be played as a sport in city streets large, had some religious significance. However, the
and squares. Mesoamerican repertoire was not entirely dominated
by ceremony or solemnity; on the contrary,
there were depictions of movement, work, pain,
conversation, as well as old age, obesity, disease
and joy.
Some of the pieces we know display a clearly
naturalistic intent, resulting in the representation of
realistic anatomical proportions and individualized
physiognomies and facial expressions. But there are
also many schematic and highly abstract images.
There was not a unified system of representation in
Mesoamerica, nor was there a linear progression
from naturalism to abstraction or vice versa. Both
Ball player with mask possibilities were latent in Mesoamerican art from all
Shaft tomb tradition. eras and regions.
Tuxcacuesco-Ortices style
300 B.C.-600 A.D.
Southern Jalisco and Colima
Modeled clay with pastillage

BODIES AND GESTURES There is no sheer explanation for the gash across the
woman’s abdomen: an allusion to sacrifice or perhaps to
We should not expect Mesoamerican art to behave in the a primitive cesarean section? The truth is that her closed
same way as modern Western art. Costumbrismo is not eyelids indicate that the carving represented a dead
found in Mesoamerican art, nor is portraiture per se, nor woman.
is the representation of moods and feelings, even though
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some indigenous creations demonstrate that potential.
Any predominantly religious, ceremonial or courtly art
will have its peculiarities and limitations. But a cursory
examination of a few examples of Mesoamerican
anthropomorphic images is enough to confirm that the
characterization of the human body and its expressions
was always central to the artists’ interests.
MAN, WOMAN, NUDITY
For a civilization that left little evidence of a generalized

practice of eroticism, Mesoamerica produced some Female figure with arms over
eloquent human nudes. The oldest artistic expressions the abdomen
Mezcala tradition
in Mesoamerica were female nude figurines, linked Late Preclassic-Late Classic.
to an ancient Earth cult. Then came funerary images: 500 B.C.-900 A.D.
representations of the deceased and members of his Carved stone
family for placement alongside burials.
It is also possible that some of the nude figures that
have survived to this day were in fact representations
of gods, either to exalt some aspect of the god’s sexual
nature or because the images were meant to be dressed
in textiles that have since disappeared.
1. Female figure
Certain stone carvings from the Mezcala tradition attain a
delicate and striking naturalism without abandoning the
schematic language and symmetry characteristic of this
sculptural style: for example, this mature woman with an Captive with erect penis
exposed vulva and sagging breasts and belly, that speak style
of repeated pregnancies. Late Preclassic-Early Classic.
300 B.C.-600 A.D.
Colima
Modeled and burnished clay
40 Gallery 3 / Bodies, Faces, People Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 41

ABSTRACTION
Certain cultural traditions are characterized by their quest

for naturalism. For example, imitation of nature appears
to have guided Greek art from the Cycladic period to
the Classical era. Other traditions prefer more abstract
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expressions. In the case of Mesoamerica, we find
variations from one region and era to another, and even
among individual artisans working in the same style.
The Mezcala tradition is probably one of the more
Standing man with arms
abstract of them. Its stone carvings were achieved over the abdomen
primarily using the abrading technique, repeatedly sliding Mezcala tradition
a bow with a tense cord over the stone as if it were a 500 B.C.-900 A.D.
hacksaw. This technique resulted in bilateral symmetry Middle Balsas River basin
Carved stone
and a degree of schematicism, reducing the body to a
few basic lines.
3. Anthropomorphic figure
2. Standing man Certain figures from the Mezcala tradition feature
This piece is an excellent example of the merits and faces whose naturalism comes from complementary
limitations of using the abrading technique when carving carving techniques such as perforation and incision,
stone. The gap between the legs, which appear slightly and a polished finish that produces surfaces of variable
bowed, may be the best indication of the cord’s progress. curvature. The faces of these pieces recall certain
The arms are indicated with straight lines, as are the sculptures from the Olmec period. This carving method
eyes. However, the curvature of the neck and the light may also be found on masks and some Classic-period
lines of expression on the brow lend the figure some figurines from Oaxaca and the Valley of Mexico.
expressiveness. This is particularly noteworthy given the
piece’s overall economy of lines.
Broken anthropomorphic
figure
Mezcala tradition
500 B.C.-900 A.D.
Carved, incised and polished
stone

IDENTITY AND POSTURE 5. Maize goddess
This figure’s formality and simplicity reflect the ideal image
Mesoamerican anthropomorphic representations have a of a Nahua woman, most likely a noblewoman: serene
limited repertoire of postures and gestures corresponding and seated with folded legs, modestly covered with a
to certain social conventions. Warriors typically stand quechquémitl, and with carefully coiffed hair. However,
erect and display a degree of solemnity. Women are often this is not a depiction of a real woman but rather of a
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shown seated with folded legs: a posture which was goddess, probably Xilonen, protector of cornfields bearing
frowned upon for men, at least during the Postclassic young cobs.
period. Among many different arm positions, there is one
that seems to be associated with grieving: vertical upper
arms, with forearms bent at a ninety-degree angle and
hands touching at the level of the abdomen.
4. Woman
This sculpture clearly belongs to the Nahua repertoire Maize goddess
from the Valley of Mexico around the time of the Spanish Nahua. Mexica style
Late Postclassic.
Conquest. It probably represents one of the goddesses 1350-1521 A.D.
linked to sexual pleasure. Despite the carving’s crudeness, Valley of Mexico, probably
Tenochtitlan
her coiffure and youthful appearance indicate that it is Carved and polished stone,
Xochiquetzal, which would explain her apparently erotic with paint
gesture of holding her breasts.
Woman holding her breasts Man with hands over the

Nahua. Mexica style abdomen
Late Postclassic. 1350-1521 Huasteca
A.D. Postclassic. 900-1521 A.D.
Central Mexico Plateau Huasteca, Northern Veracruz
Sculpted and polished stone Carved and polished stone

GESTURE AND EXPRESSION
Early artistic expressions from the Middle Preclassic and

figurines from Western Mexico display the greatest variety
of gestures and expressions. Representations from later
periods become more stereotyped, and their gestures
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more reiterative.
Common male postures include crouching and
sitting cross-legged, with arms resting on the knees. In
ceremonial contexts, male figures are also seen kneeling
on one knee in a position similar to genuflection. Forearms
may be placed over the chest, either crossed or on the
diagonal, in a position related to religious veneration.
6. Man in reflective posture

The style and iconography from the Olmec tradition
expanded through many regions of Mesoamerica, as
seen in this figure from the Balsas River basin. From its
highest point, where the Balsas River joins the Atoyac,
to its midpoint, near the Mezcala River, this region had
one of the highest concentrations of pieces with Olmec
characteristics. This figure pertains to a sub-style known
as Las Bocas, mainly found near Izúcar de Matamoros.
Many Museum visitors, as well as art scholars and
critics, consider it to be a masterwork because of its
striking expression: a mature man, sitting serenely, in
reflection. His arms lean on crossed legs, and he rests his
chin on his left hand, resulting in a gesture that is often
associated with rational meditation.
This is likely the image of the chief or cacique of an
important village, and would have been buried along with
his remains.
Man in reflective attitude

Olmec
Middle Preclassic. 1200-500 B.C.
Las Bocas (Caballo Pintado), Puebla
Modeled clay, with several engobes and
delicate incisions

JOY
Colonial codices provide evidence of a pictographic

convention representing joy: both arms extended
Man holding his hand to the outwards with the forearms raised toward the sides
mouth and the palms open. Texts in Nahuatl clarify that this
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Olmec
Middle Preclassic. posture and its verbal expressions—ahuia, ahuiliztli,
1200-500 B.C. ahuilnemiliztli—are also related to sexual pleasure.
Las Bocas (Caballo Pintado),
Puebla
Modeled clay with incisions 8. Smiling face
and engobe
These Classic-period figurines from the Gulf Coast
region have traditionally been called “Smiling Faces,”
7. Seated woman now known to be an accurate name for them. The facial
This piece belongs to the style known as Xochipala, expression typical to the figures is in fact a smile, with a
from the middle of the Balsas River basin. This style was corresponding physical gesture that leads us to think of
developed in a small area, and is contemporary to the joy and pleasure. This is confirmed by sixteenth-century
early phase of Olmec ceramic sculptures. It appears to codices.
be a local expression with a similarly naturalistic intent.
Xochipala figures were painted with a kind of slip called
engobe prior to cooking, thus lending the ceramic body a
more dynamic presence.
The seated woman seems to be leaning on one hand,
suggesting repose or relaxation. Her face is raised as if
in contemplation. Her expressive features were attained
through the application of tiny strips of clay, in a technique
known as pastillage.
Seated woman
Xochipala tradition Smiling face
Middle Preclassic. Central Veracruz
1200-500 B.C. Early Classic. 200-600 A.D.
Middle Balsas River basin Veracruz
Modeled clay with pastillage Modeled clay with incisions
and several engobes and pastillage

MARKS ON THE BODY
Mesoamerican societies had clear social divisions, but

also class differentiation and social distinctions based
on ethnicity, trades or duties, lineage, age, gender, and
ceremonial participation. Many of these differences were
GALLERY 3
codified and expressed through temporary or permanent
marks on the body.
The most striking and enduring of such corporeal
transformations were the cranial modelling practiced on
newborns, which had irreversible effects. Tattoos were
common, as were ear and nose piercings, face painting,
and of course, jewelry.
9. Woman with geometric body decoration

Ceramic sculptures from Western Mesoamerica are
perhaps the most likely to upset our aesthetic prejudices.
For example, they show us that the stony solemnity
of Mexica sacrificial representations is only one angle of
indigenous culture.
Sculptures such as this one, found in a tomb in
Nayarit, are striking not only for their beauty, but because
they demonstrate that what we consider to be modern
abstraction and stylization can fall within the scope of
human sensibilities and artistic intent from all eras.
Woman with geometric body

decoration
Lagunillas style
300 B.C.-600 A.D.
Southern Nayarit
Modeled and polychromed
clay

TRANSFORMATIONS 10. Heads
It is impossible to look at these faces without becoming
Between monstrosity and fantasy, Mesoamerican convinced that they represent specific people:
ceramicists manipulated the human form to the point of somebody’s parent, sibling, or uncle. Their expressions
fusing the concepts of body and vessel. Body parts were are powerful, and entirely personal. They display a
inflated, widened or narrowed in order to achieve a new quality that is rarely seen in Mesoamerican civilization:
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formal intent, perhaps not only to create a figure, but also individuality.
to distort it for symbolic or aesthetic reasons. These clay figures from the Gulf of Mexico coast are
Some of the most striking pieces began with the idea clearly portraits: in some cases, the headdresses that
of a person carrying a vessel on their back, evolving it into would have been attached to the slots in the figures have
a human form with a hunchback that could contain some been lost, as have their bodies, but the faces themselves
kind of liquid. are still full of life.
Seated man shaped vessel

Teotihuacan
Modeled thin orange paste,
with pastillage and fine
polishing
PERSON
One constant in Mesoamerican art is its fluctuation

between naturalism and abstraction, between the
imitation of nature and its schematization. This is
especially noticeable in the representation of faces and
heads. There are many faces virtually inexpressive,
as seen in the codices and in the mural paintings of Heads, fragments of
anthropomorphic clay
Teotihuacán or Monte Albán. But we also see profoundly sculptures
human expressions on Olmec figures carved from stone, Remojadas tradition
Classic. 200-900 A.D.
clay sculptures from Central Veracruz, and other regional Central Veracruz
manifestations. Modeled clay

HEAD
A peculiar form of portraiture aimed at exalting governors

Society and Customs
was practiced during the Olmec period, almost exclusively Like all great ancient civilizations, Mesoamerican
along the Gulf Coast. It consisted of disembodied heads society was founded on an agriculture capable of
carved out of stone, which were placed directly on the producing surpluses on a consistent basis. Despite
GALLERY 4
ground. The most famous examples are the colossal the lack of animal fertilizer or plows, Mesoamerican
heads of San Lorenzo and La Venta, but smaller examples agriculture was intensive and complex. In fact, it
have been found in the Balsas River basin and along the was one of the most highly developed agricultural
Guatemalan Coast. The piece in this collection could be
systems in antiquity, in terms of leveling and shaping
from either of these two regions; petrological analysis
would determine which one. arable lands, irrigation, and the use of crop rotation
and intercropping techniques. Three of the most
important crops in Mesoamerica lent themselves
FACES AND MASKS very well to being grown together in a single field:
corn, beans, and squash.
Masks were used in all Mesoamerican cultures, often in The Mesoamerican economy was
dances and religious ceremonies, and sometimes even complemented by fishing and hunting, a wide
in comedies and farces reminiscent of Western Classical variety of craft activities, and intensive trade.
antiquity. Masks for acting or dancing were made of light, Certain tasks, such as fishing and collecting salt,
perishable materials such as wood, straw or paper.
became specialized activities, as most crafts did.
The only masks that have survived to this day are
funerary masks, mainly in stone, with a few examples The most widespread of these was pottery, with
in clay. These masks seem to be linked to the idea of many individuals working full time as potters. Such
preserving part of an individual’s identity or soul at the specialization led to entire districts being devoted to
time of cremation or burial. a single occupation.
Urbanization and population concentration
became widespread in Mesoamerica. Urban
conglomerations, many of which have pervived
throughout history, led to the development of social
stratification between the producers who paid
tribute and the leaders who received it. Society also
became more diversified in terms of ethnic origin,
lineage, experience, military merits, and other criteria
such as age, gender, and so forth.

1. Tláloc, the god of Rain WORK AND SUSTENANCE
One of the oldest Mesoamerican deities is the god of
Rain, commonly known by his Nahuatl name, Tláloc. Perhaps sixty to seventy percent of the total population of
Worship of this god may have begun around 1000 b.c., Mesoamerica was devoted to agriculture, meaning that
but the clearest images, similar to those we see in the agricultural production was sufficient to feed the farming
codices, appeared for the first time around 200 a.d. in communities, as well as the third of the population that
GALLERY 4
Teotihuacán. did not work at cultivating the land—mainly artisans,
Tláloc is identified by the rings around his eyes, warriors, and the priestly and governing classes of the
his long fangs, and droplets or seeds emerging from his nobility. This system was formed over a period of several
mouth. He lives in mountains, holding or releasing water, centuries. The domestication of plants began around the
and is responsible for mist, clouds, and storms. year 5000 b.c.; sedentary life was established between
3000 and 2000 b.c.; and social stratification began
between 1000 and 500 b.c.
HUNTING
Hunting never lost its significance as a complementary

economic activity to agriculture. Dart throwers, bows
and arrows, and different kinds of traps were used to
hunt deer, hares, ducks, and many other kinds of game.
Fishing was always another important activity.
2. Duck shaped vessel

Many works by the craftsmen of Tlatilco depicted life in
the lake region of the Valley of Mexico, with fish and ducks
prominently featured. Ducks must have represented a
significant part of the local diet, judging by the importance
given to their image in painting and ceramics, and the
wide variety of duck hunting techniques developed.
The god Tláloc, mural

painting fragment
Teotihuacan
Mural painting, fresco-secco
on stucco
56 Gallery 4 / Society and Customs Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 57

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Man holding a bottle gourd
and wearing a mask on his
head
Nahua. Mexica style
Duck shaped vessel Late Postclassic.
Tlatilco 1200-1521 A.D.
Middle Preclassic. Valley of Mexico
1200-800 B.C. Sculpted stone
Tlatilco, Valley of Mexico
Modeled clay; black coating
with intense burnishing
DOMESTIC ANIMALS
There was a vast difference between ancient Mexico

AGRICULTURE and other parts of the world in terms of the kinds of
domesticable animals found in the region: there were
Corn was first domesticated in Mexico. Beginning with no pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, horses, or cows. The
the wild plant which had flexible spikes and small seeds, dog was the only truly domesticated animal, probably
selection work carried out by gatherers in different parts of during the Pleistocene period, meaning that the original
Mexico, including the Tehuacán Valley, the Huasteca, and occupants of the Americas already coexisted with this
the Balsas River basin, resulted in the robust ears of corn animal in their daily life. There were at least three dog
we know today. Dozens of varieties of different sizes and breeds in ancient Mexico, the best known of which is the
colors were developed over time, while beans, squash, Xoloitzcuintle, or Mexican Hairless.
amaranth, tomatoes, avocados, guavas, and other fruits
rounded out the plant-based diet.
3. Man holding a bottle gourd

Squashes and gourds were used in their entirety, even
Dog with a corn cob
the shells, which were emptied and then sealed to use as between its teeth
floats. But the seeds constituted the most highly valued Shaft tomb tradition. Comala
style
part of this plant, and were used to prepare something Late Preclassic-Early Classic.
similar to a pipián sauce for daily meals. Peanuts were 300 B.C.-600 A.D.
Colima
another plant product that originated in Mesoamerica, Modeled, incised and
also used to make sauces. burnished clay

4. Reclining dog shaped vessel VILLAGE LIFE
This beautiful vessel is an example of the highest quality
ceramic types in Mesoamerica: the so-called Thin Orange Villages were the first sign of sedentary life in
Ware, produced in Teotihuacán and nearby communities Mesoamerica. By 3000 b.c., the old temporary gathering
such as Cholula that were linked to Teotihuacán’s artisanal camps were transforming into permanent agricultural
production and commercial systems. Thin Orange Ware, settlements. Such villages were the source of many
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is surprisingly light compared to other types of ceramics, cultural patterns that we now identify as typical to
allowing the modelling of a variety of shapes with very Mesoamerica. Much of the region’s mythology and several
thin walls. religious practices likely developed during this phase.
But the most striking thing here is the dog. It is easy The first urban centers were established around 1000
to imagine one like this curled up at the entrance to any b.c.—perhaps a little earlier or later, depending on the
residential complex in Teotihuacán. Dogs were found in region. Cities with streets, squares, districts, and avenues
houses and on the streets, and were part of urban and did not appear until 500 b.c., with the foundation of sites
domestic life. The custom and presence of this animal in such as Cuicuilco and Monte Albán. From this point on,
Teotihuacán could be compared to the dogs in Pompeii, areas of villages and rural settlements persisted, but in
for instance. coexistence with urban agglomerations.
5. Vessel in the shape of a seated water carrier

When studying the cultures of the past, it is important to
consider how they provided for certain basic needs that
many of us take for granted today: how they obtained salt
or disposed waste, for example, but above all, how they
obtained water.
Drinking water could sometimes be found near
residential areas. For example, homes in Teotihuacán had
wells in the patios, so a person only had to take a few
steps to get water. And in Tenochtitlan, jugs of drinking
water were distributed by canoes that circulated along
the canals. But in many places, people had to haul jugs of
water on their backs, from rivers or dams.
Reclining dog shaped vessel

Teotihuacan
Modeled and smoothed thin
orange paste

LIVES, TRADES, AND TASKS
The notion of a self-sufficient community of farmers living

in harmony and periodically visiting a religious center
bears no resemblance to the truth. Social stratification
began to develop in Mesoamerica at almost the same
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time that labor specialization and a more sedentary
lifestyle gave rise to new fields of knowledge and trades.
There were many cities scattered around most regions,
so urban life was highly characteristic of Mesoamerican
culture.
LIFE CYCLE
Vessel in the shape of a
seated water carrier Like other ancient civilizations, Mesoamerican society
Shaft tomb tradition
Late Preclassic-Early Classic. suffered from high infant mortality rates. The children
300 B.C.-600 A.D. of artisans and farmers would spend their early years
Jalisco
Modeled and burnished close to their parents, while noble children would have
black clay nursemaids or servants. Young adulthood came at an
early age; by fifteen, young people would have had
military training and could marry. They would also know
the trade they were destined to practice, based on
TOOLS their gender and social standing. The offspring of noble
families likely remained in the palaces and temples for
The efficiency of Mesoamerican technology is best several more years in order to complete their religious and
demonstrated by the quality and complexity of the work academic education, which was much more complex
processes and the skill and coordination of the work and specialized than that received by commoners.
force, rather than by the tools used. There were no carts, Male and female adults could be either married or
pulleys, scissors, or mills; people were not familiar with widowed, but they always belonged to a given lineage
iron. Copper was used on a very limited basis, only for and district, which determined their work and religious
sewing needles and fishhooks. When it came to tools, the lives. Only priests, monks and small groups of nuns were
technology was Neolithic. exempt from this rule, devoting their entire lives to the
Some copper and bronze hoes and spades have been temples.
found, especially in Michoacán, but it is unclear whether
they date from Pre-Columbian times or from the beginning
of the Colonial period. Most axes were stone and were
used to cut down trees. Battleaxes were usually copper,
and were especially common in Michoacán and Guerrero.

6. Female figure
These two figures from the middle Balsas River basin
belong to the Xochipala tradition, and have been dated
to around 1000 b.c. They are impressive for their realism,
representing an adult man and woman, likely for burying
with the mortal remains of two deceased individuals.
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Few clear indications of indigenous notions of beauty
have been found, but these firm bodies with strong
legs, slender necks and serene expressions must have
represented an ideal image of physical wellbeing and
maturity.
Seated male figure

Xochipala tradition
Early Preclassic-Middle
Preclassic. 1000-500 B.C.
HIERARCHIES
The pyramid is a good metaphor for the Pre-Columbian

social structure: a broad base of workers, and above
them, a series of much smaller classes that enjoyed an
elevated economic position. At the top would be a figure
with sacred attributes. In some cases, his feet were not
allowed to touch the ground; in certain realms, it was
Standing female figure
Xochipala tradition prohibited to look upon his face. This was the emperor,
Early Preclassic-Middle the king, the all-powerful monarch; generally a man,
Preclassic. 1000-500 B.C.
although in the Mixtec region there were as many female
Modeled clay with pastillage rulers as there were males.

7. Scepter 8. Anthropomorphic vessel in the shape of a hunchback
The scepter was one of the symbols of royal power in Marginalized and ostracized by other individuals,
Mesoamerica, apparently with particular importance excluded from any family group or lineage, dwarves and
among the Olmec and the Maya. Scepters often bore hunchbacks were bought and sold as curiosities or as
images alluding to the owner’s ancestors, suggesting that entertainment for the court. Their personal situation was
part of their power was thought to be present in these very sad, but their position in the court and in palace life
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signs of authority. The scepter displayed here comes offered them certain comforts and privileges.
from the Balsas River basin and could form part of the
group of objects marking a transition between Olmec-type
expressions and local practices such as the so-called
Mezcala tradition.
Anthropomorphic vessel in
the shape of a hunchback
Western Mexico
Colima
Modeled and intensely
burnished clay
ARTISTIC TRADES
The wealthy Mesoamerican courts subsidized a

specialized artistic production that was a great source of
pride and helped shape the identities of feudal estates
and empires. Cities had many districts of artists working
in specialized trades. There is solid archaeological and
documentary evidence that ethnic groups with experience
in given artistic specialties would emigrate and apply for
Scepter with human head residence in the most prosperous cities, where they knew
Mezcala tradition their work would be in high demand and that they would
500 B.C.-900 A.D. find a steady market for their products. The most talented
Middle Balsas River basin, artists were invited to work directly for the king and for
probably
Carved calcite covered with a
those close to him, leading to the establishment of palace
stucco-like material workshops and a class of court artists.

(Previous page)
9. Dance-battle scene between deities Dance-battle scene between
Mural painting was one of the most widely practiced deities
Teotihuacan
artistic activities in Mesoamerica, beginning in the Early Classic. 200-600 A.C.
Preclassic period. Given the size of Teotihuacán and the City of Teotihuacán
many masonry buildings found there, this was by far Mural painting, fresco-secco
on stucco
the city with the greatest number of mural paintings. Many
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square meters of paintings have been conserved and
can be seen to this day, either in the city buildings that
have been explored thus far, or in samples that have been 10. Miniature butterfly chest plate
removed from the walls and incorporated into different Turquoise was one of the most prized stones in
collections and museums. Mesoamerican courts. It is difficult to find in large blocks
By introducing pigments such as ferrous oxide, which and fragments easily when working with it. For this
produces an intense red background color, and nopal reason, turquoise work was nearly always performed
resin as a binding agent, the painters of Teotihuacán using mosaic techniques. Tiny, irregular fragments of
created incredibly rich iconographic programs. The stone were used to cover prepared surfaces of other
fragment exhibited here was found on the lower part of materials, such as gold, bone or wood. This pectoral was
a monastery wall and represents two gods associated made with a wooden support, some kind of resin, and
with military attributes engaging in a kind of dance. finally the turquoise fragments. It seems to be a stylized
This is one of the most remarkable and best preserved butterfly, a symbol that was used by warriors since the
examples of the chromatic wealth of the mural paintings time of the city of Tula.
of Teotihuacán.
Miniature butterfly chest

plate with gemstone mosaic
Mixteca-Puebla tradition
Late Postclassic.
1200-1521 A.D.
Central Mexico Plateau
Wood with gemstone mosaic

CLOTHING AND BODY ORNAMENTATION
We are a long way from comprehending the incredible

wealth and complexity of Pre-Columbian clothing and
personal ornamentation. Male and female attire was made
from cotton textiles woven on backstrap looms, although
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poorer people tended to use rougher fibers. Fabrics
for use by the nobility—governors, priests and wealthy
people—had varied textures, colors and designs. Brocade
was common, but there is also evidence of sewing and
embroidery. Rabbit fur and feathers would sometimes be
added to the fabric.
Clothing was only one aspect of body decoration.
Other adornments included rings or cords around wrists
and ankles, pectorals, necklaces, jewelry for ears and
nose. Different coiffures distinguished marriageable
women from married women, brave warriors from
inexperienced young men, great captains from common
soldiers. Such coiffures would be completed with ribbons,
skins, helmets, and magnificent feathered headdresses.
The most highly valued feathers were the quetzal’s long,
green, brilliant plumes, but many others were also used;
eagle feathers, for example, were valued for their religious
symbolism linked to the sun.
11. Richly attired nobleman

Some small Mayan ceramic sculptures, especially those
from the Jaina Island, were striking for their realism,
and the artisans seem to have not wanted to omit a
single detail of the clothing and physical appearance of
the individuals depicted in these images, which would
accompany their remains after death.
The variety of garments and ornaments we see in the
figures is related to how different social criteria bestowed
individuals with specific physical markings.
Richly attired nobleman
Maya
Late Classic. 600-909 A.D.
Jaina Island, Campeche
and painted incisions

12. Bezotes WAR
The old Spanish word bezote is still commonly used today
to describe these lip ornaments. Such pieces were worn War wasn’t absent in any Mesoamerican period; there
throughout Mesoamerica and had a strong hierarchical were rather long stretches of stability, lasting several
significance. Only members of the nobility could use them, centuries, and critical periods of intensive military activity,
but they also varied greatly in terms of size and quality of as the period from 600 to 900 a.d., and more particularly
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material, depending on the wearer’s social standing. towards the end of the ninth century. This long crisis was
The bezotes seen here are relatively small—much the result of the fracturing of a highly centralized system
larger ones also existed—and are made out of obsidian, in which one large metropolis, Teotihuacán, controlled
which had some value but was not considered to be a the major commercial routes and influenced the politics
particularly luxurious material. For example, a gold bezote of different regions. Emerging cities such as Tajín and
with turquoise incrustations could only be used by a Xochicalco competed for control over different routes
governor or someone of similarly noble standing. One of and areas of influence, resulting in a combative
the imperial bezotes described in Nahua source materials environment, especially on the Central Plateau. Around
was made of rock crystal with a bluebird feather inside it. the year 800, following a period of great prosperity, Mayan
To wear a bezote, it was inserted into a piercing feudal estates in the lowlands—Petén, the Usumacinta
beneath the lower lip. The wings served to hold the piece River basin, the Motagua River—entered into a bellicose
in place and were in contact with the gums, while the cycle that led to their mutual destruction.
protruding part—which was usually cylindrical—emerged During the final phase of Mesoamerican history, war
through the piercing, pulling the lip slightly downwards. had become routine, and military symbols appeared on
the main palaces and temples of the cities, especially
among the Nahuas of the Central Plateau.
It is in part due to this climate of constant warfare that
the Spaniards arrived to find a panorama of entrenched
rivalries, and many feudal estates willing to become their
allies.
Bezotes
Carved obsidian, polished by
abrading

13. Olmec head
This is the head of a larger sculpture that broke into
pieces. As such, it is not a true “Olmec head”—not one
Language and Writing
of the famed colossal heads from the Olmec tradition. It
must have originally been part of a full-body sculpture,
and judging by other known examples of Olmec art,
GALLERY 5
it would have likely been a seated figure. The style
corresponds to that of the Olmecs of the Gulf of Mexico.
In several Olmec sites along the Gulf Coast, there are
indications of violent destruction of images of governors.
This may have been at the hands of enemies from other
settlements, or by the local population. In any case, it was The cultures of Mesoamerica developed different
a violent act representing the symbolic suppression of the ways of registering historical events in order to
power of a given lineage or individual. verify royal genealogies, to calculate and record
astronomical events, and to chronicle political or
military history. The largest body of inscriptions
comes from the Mayan region. There is no doubt
that writing developed most extensively among the
Maya.
However, the earliest known written inscription
was made during the Olmec phase along the Gulf
Coast, followed by some major achievements in
writing in Oaxaca, Southern Veracruz, and the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
Teotihuacan, Zapotec and Mixtec people, all
developed rich iconographies in their paintings and
reliefs, but they preferred a pictographic language
based on narrative scenes, limiting the use of writing
to calendrical signs, place names, and proper
names.
Head of an Olmec sculpture

Olmec
Middle Preclassic.
1000-300 B.C.
Southern Veracruz or Tabasco
Carved stone (possibly basalt)

OAXACAN RECORD-KEEPING SYSTEMS 1. Mixtec lintel
The record on this Mixtec lintel from the Late Postclassic
Not long after the emergence of writing along the Gulf period is similar to a codex. At the center of the scene
Coast, inscriptions were used in Oaxaca to record there is a large year symbol that appears as a lightning
phrases and calendrical dates. But unlike the Mayan bolt or spearhead inserted into a trapezoidal form. It
region, where writing thrived for years, Oaxacan systems indicates the year 9-Rabbit, given that the animal’s head
GALLERY 5
assigned a great deal of importance to figurative and appears above the numeral formed by a bar (with a
iconographic representations that were not writing per value of five) and four dots. Four seated figures are seen
se. These narrative scenes alluded to ambassadorships, presenting an equal number of supernatural beings, as if
acts of government, and conquests, as well as mythical in offering, and there are dates next to each of them.
episodes. Written elements generally provided the names The upper part of the lintel shows four floating or
and dates associated with the events. traveling representations of the Mixtec god of Rain,
named Dzahui.
Mixtec lintel depicting the

rain gods and their possible
ritual functionaries
Mixtec
Late Postclassic.
1200-1521 A.D.
Mixtec region
Carved stone
76 Gallery 5 / Language and Writing Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 77

MAYAN WRITING 3. Tripod vase with court scene
The incredible polychromy of many Mayan ceramic vases
It is no exaggeration to state that Mayan writing was was possible thanks to the technique of pre-fired painting,
Mesoamerica’s greatest and most complete writing which added a notable gloss and resistance to their
system, and the only one to develop a way to record colors. Artisans on the Central Plateau would learn these
phrases as they were pronounced out loud. The Maya techniques over time.
GALLERY 5
produced texts such as short tales, prayers, declarations This vessel belonged to a governor, whose image
about the divinity of governors, and descriptions of it bears: he is the only figure shown seated and facing
political or astronomical events. forward, with his head turned to the left to address
Many Mayan inscriptions were made in stone and a lower ranking interlocutor, as dictated by Mayan
stucco, but there were also a number of texts written on convention. The person appearing before the sovereign is
ceramics and in codices. most likely a nobleman from the provinces who owed him
obedience, and showed his respect by presenting a gift of
2. Chocholá style bowl cotton blankets. There are two other figures on the vessel,
This clay bowl was made around the seventh century which may be two priests, or perhaps a priest wearing a
a.d., during the Late Classic which was a period of white turban and a government officer.
great splendor among the Maya. The piece comes from The inscription is not a coherent phrase; rather, it
the northwestern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. Richly seems to be a litany of hierarchical and sacred attributes
decorated bowls such as this one were exclusively for the alluding to the governor and perhaps to other individuals.
use of governors and other members of the upper nobility, Among other things it states: “The one in yellow, the
who drank chocolate or the maize drink atole out of them. reader, the scribe, night, he of the squash, Natzin,
According to epigraphical analysis, the text inscribed the accountant, […] he of water, mother of the earth, […]
along the upper rim is loosely translated as “The clay he of the bird of prey, the reader, son of woman, wise
bowl of Sajal Tik’anil Mo’ K’uk’u’m has been fabricated man, he of death, […] he of water.”
and consecrated.” Sajal was a term applied to a local
governor.
Chocholá style bowl

Maya. Chocholá style
Late Classic. 600-909 A.D.
Puuc region, north of the Tripod vase with court scene
Yucatán Peninsula, probably Maya
Oxkintok Late Classic. 600-909 A.D.
Modeled and incised clay, Petén region
with engobes and pre-firing Modeled and coiled clay, with
incisions engobe and polychromy

4. Stone door jamb
One example of Mayan writing practice, the fluency of
scribes and their interest in recording what priests and
Art, Form, Expression
governors told them, is this relief that was probably one
of two door jambs alongside the entrance to a room. Imagine for a moment that we are in the main square
However, the long inscription on this monument is simply of a Mesoamerican city, as if we had traveled back
GALLERY 6
written proof of the date when decoration of the room in time to witness a festive day. We observe the
was completed. vast space of the plaza, where the ground is level,
In general terms, the text states that the placement of smooth, and clean. Several paved roads converge
the room’s decorations was completed during the month upon the open space, and drainage gutters run
of September of the year 750 (according to our calendar).
parallel to one of them. Platforms with steps encircle
It also names the room’s owner as Piip and states that he
the square, and temples and palaces stand atop the
was a dignitary with the title of sajal, meaning that he was
a kind of local chief subjected to a king. platforms. Some walls are covered with polished
stucco; others are painted bright red.
The sound of drums can be heard coming
from different temples, all playing precisely the same
beat. There is a chorus of voices, deep and slow,
emanating from the monasteries next to the temples.
The rippling white background formed by the
pilgrims’ cloaks is interrupted by the endless red
of the tunics, capes, and tilmas worn by members of
the nobility and city authorities. Feathers on the
headdresses, many of them bright green, also flutter
in the breeze. Warriors wear their gala shields,
decorated with blue and yellow macaw feathers.
Climbing the staircase at our backs, we come to
a magnificent portico flanked by sculptures, leading
into a palace. Once inside, we are surprised by the
opulent paintings of birds, alligators, stars and battles.
In one room we see wicker stools, rabbit-fur mantles,
pillows, ceramic vessels with fantastic shapes, and
Stone door jamb with
become again surprised by the green jade pectoral
hieroglyphic inscriptions worn by a solemn man at our side.
Maya
Late Classic. 600-909 A.D. The unparalleled wealth of Mesoamerican
Puuc region, northeast of the artistic expression speaks to us of that ancient
Yucatán Peninsula
Carved stone civilization’s great force and personality.

1. Reclining feline ARCHITECTURE, SCULPTURE, PAINTING
The entrances to many Mesoamerican temples and
palaces were flanked by sculptures, usually in pairs. They There was a natural continuity in the different artistic
sometimes acted as sentinels or standard-bearers, and languages that existed among the indigenous cultures
each image would be linked to the symbolic significance of ancient Mexico. Sculpture and painting were
of the building it guarded. indispensable elements of architecture, often combined
GALLERY 6
One of the most important images in Mesoamerican on a single wall. A building’s symbolic meaning could
religious thought and iconography was the jaguar: frequently be discovered by observing the architecture
messenger from the mountain, dweller in the dark world, as a whole, along with its sculpted or painted images.
related to the water gods. During the final phase of Mesoamerican structures and sculptures were nearly
Mesoamerican history, the jaguar also became an emblem always painted, turning cities into vivid spectacles of color
of war. The jaguar’s cosmic opponent and complement amid the jungles and valleys they occupied.
was the eagle.
2. Panel with two characters seated on a throne
dialoguing
In the many Mayan settlements that thrived in the humid,
tropical lowlands during the Classic period, stucco
techniques were often used to produce bas-relief images.
This panel in particular was part of a group, along with
another image shown in this gallery. They likely were part
of a longer narrative, depicted in relief on the wall of a
palace or temple.
The two figures are seated on a structure representing
the concept of “Jaguar Mountain,” apparently the place
of origin of women who went to be married in Yaxchilán.
At least one of the two figures is a priest, identified by his
cylindrical headdress. The two figures had comparable
hierarchical positions, given that neither is seated higher
than the other.
There is no doubt that the piece is from the
Usumacinta River basin and belongs to the Late Classic
period.
Reclining feline
Nahua. Styles contemporary
to the Mexica
Late Postclassic.
1345-1521 A.D.
Valley of Mexico, Puebla-
Tlaxcala
Carved and polished stone
82 Gallery 6 / Art, Form, Expression Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 83

3. Singing quetzal with speech scroll
Some of the crowning achievements in the history of
Mesoamerican art were without a doubt, the mural
paintings that decorated the city of Teotihuacán. The
inhabitants of Teotihuacán established a language, a
repertoire of themes and figures, even a color palette
GALLERY 6
of their own. This gave a sense of of unity to the
metropolis. From one ceremonial building to another, from
monasteries to palaces, there was always a sense of
profound harmony: the whole city had a single symbolic
language.
Over the intense red color which predominated in
Teotihuacán, obtained from hematite or ferrous oxide,
other bright and even cheerful colors were painted to
represent the god Tláloc, as well as flowers, felines,
priests, and birds like the one seen in this fragment and
in its twin on the opposing wall. Both birds are quetzals,
which were highly valued by Mesoamerican cultures, and
linked to the sacred force that gives life and makes plants
grow, as well as to nobility and power.
Panel with two characters seated on a Singing quetzal with speech scroll, mural
throne dialoguing painting fragment
Maya Teotihuacan
Late Classic. 600-909 A.D. Early Classic. 200-600 A.D.
El Chicozapote, Usumacinta River basin, Techinantitla residential complex, city of
northeast from Yaxchilán Teotihuacán
Modeled, incised and polychromed stucco Mural painting, fresco-secco on stucco

DANCE What still remains is the archaeological evidence of
the instruments per se, many of them wind instruments:
During the Colonial era, and as late as the seventeenth whistles, trumpets, flutes with one or several ducts. By
and eighteenth centuries, indigenous communities playing them now, we can at least recover the tones
considered dance as an essential aspect of their religious available to Pre-Columbian musicians.
practice. They danced in the atriums of Christian
GALLERY 6
churches and hired dance teachers so they wouldn’t
forget the steps. The quetzal feathers needed for the
dance were passed down from parents to children. All this
demonstrates the deep roots and cultural transcendence
of Mesoamerican dance, especially in the ceremonial
context. Whistling vessel with
Dances were often circular, and always performed in hydraulic mechanism
groups, following the rhythm of drums enriched with a few Nahua
Late Postclassic.
flutes and whistles, in a collective act that was essential 1200-1521 A.D.
for animating and thanking the gods, who moved up and Central Mexico Plateau,
possibly
down, also in circles, bearing energy, change and life. Modeled and perforated clay,
with red and black engobes
MUSIC
The absence of musical notation in ancient Mexico

Transverse flute
meant that the old rhythms and musical pieces could Nahua
not be preserved; this is an irremediable fact. Visiting an Late Postclassic. 1200-1521
A.D.
indigenous community today, or even a hundred years Central Mexico Plateau
ago, would not provide much insight into ancient musical Modeled and perforated clay
languages, because Spanish settlers rapidly began
to introduce European instrumental repertoires, and
Medieval or Renaissance rhythms and genres. Music was
one of the cultural elements that changed most radically
in Mesoamerica, beginning as far back as the 1520s.
Certain rituals and dances—among communities such
as the Mexicaneros or the Tepehuanos in the Western
Sierra Madre, for example—provide some indication
of what the ancient music might have been like: the Double whistle integrated in
a zoomorphic effigy
incessant beat of a drum marking the dance steps, and Tlatilco
a flute to organize the monotonous sound of the drum Middle Preclassic, Manantial
phase. 1000-800 B.C.
into cycles. Valley of Mexico
Modeled and polished clay

CERAMICS 5. Large bottle with geometric decoration
The Preclassic period was a time of intense aesthetic
Perhaps no other ancient civilization possessed the and technological experimentation. Because of this,
enormous diversity of ceramics that Mesoamerica even relatively small early settlements such as Tlatilco
did. This becomes more evident when we consider produced a much greater diversity of ceramic types than
the two main categories of this art form found in the many cities during the Classic period. The vessel with
GALLERY 6
region: ceramic vessels and sculptures. There were also an upper handle that also served as a spout was one of
numerous effigy vessels, which represented a synthesis these early inventions. This design fell into disuse later in
of the two ceramic types, as well as terracotta masks and Mesoamerican history.
architectural sculptures.
Mass production using molds was carried out in many
cities, particularly in Teotihuacán, Monte Albán, and
Tenochtitlan. However, most of the highly original ceramic
Large bottle with geometric
works from the Mesoamerican tradition were created by decoration
directly modeling individual pieces. Tlatilco
Middle Preclassic.
1000-800 B.C.
4. Globular pot Valley of Mexico
The simplest ceramic forms were created in response to Modeled and smoothed clay,
red on beige slip
universal needs common to all world civilizations, such
as hauling water or cooking food, and tend to resemble
each other closely. The two-handled pot was present
throughout Mesoamerican history, and was normally used 6. Bowl with cosmogram
to cook beans, tomatoes, sauces, and other meals. A Abstract and geometric decorations provided certain
few utilitarian pots such as these would be included in Mesoamerican pieces a universal quality which some
funerary offerings, to ensure the nourishment of the souls might even call modern. In their aesthetic quest,
of the deceased during their years of pilgrimage. Mesoamerican artists explored concepts such as
symmetry, contrast, and sequence. Beyond the crosses,
groupings of lines, and oscillations, the genius of these
artists is a constant presence that lies in sharp contrast to
the artifacts’ specific religious and historic purposes.
Bowl with cosmogram

Lagunillas style
Globular pot with two 300 B.C.-600 A.D.
handles Southern Nayarit
Modeled clay, with evidences Modeled and polychromed
of intensive use clay

7. Jug
Jugs for holding and pouring liquids represented
another ceramic form that developed simultaneously in
different cultures. They were found in the final phase of
Mesoamerican history, as seen in the codices and in a few
surviving examples, such as this one.
GALLERY 6
Jug
Mixteca-Puebla tradition
Late Postclassic.
1200-1521 A.D.
Central Mexico Plateau
Modeled and polychromed
clay, intensively burnished
8. Tripod vessel
One can hardly refrain from calling a specimen such as
this a masterpiece. This tripod vessel probably once had a
lid, which has been lost over time. It comes from the Early
Classic period, likely from somewhere along the Gulf of
Mexico, although it could have been made in a district
of Teotihuacán inhabited by people from the Gulf.
The most remarkable feature of this piece is the
somewhat anthropomorphic monkey that the artist placed
inside the vessel before firing. Leaning with one hand on Tripod vessel with the
the floor, the monkey’s face is turned upward, looking at effigy of a monkey looking
upwards
us as it shields its eyes from the light. The artist probably Central Veracruz. Teotihuacan
came up with this curious addition after reflecting on the influence period
effect of light suddenly entering the vessel when the lid Modeled clay; molded feet;
was removed. effigy affixed with pastillage

Death 1. Yoke with skulls
These pieces known as “yokes” have been associated
with the ritual ballgame, although the connection is still
hypothetical. What is clear is that they are funerary objects
that have been found alongside bones and offerings, and
were mainly produced during the Late Classic period.
GALLERY 7
Given their style and regional distribution, they must have

fallen within the orbit of the culture of El Tajín.
This yoke has three skulls, one on each side and one
on the front, a series of interlacing lines, and two snakes
with rattles.
Like all civilizations throughout history, the people of ancient
Mexico suffered with death. It is true that bravery in war was a
key value, so warriors would always go into battle with aplomb.
There was also a very clear awareness, rooted in the world view,
of the need for death in order to ensure the continuity of life. But
it is equally true that people were afraid to die, and mourned the
deaths of their loved ones. And despite the sacredness of their
mission, sacrificial victims would be forlorn and taciturn while
awaiting death in captivity for days or even months. One way
of counteracting their natural survival instinct was to administer
drugs to the captives, to make them accept a fate that they
logically found distressing.
Beliefs about the soul’s continued existence for four years
following death, the idea that the vital spirits of the ancestors
remained in their homes, and the social need to pay tribute to
the dead, all resulted in a rich funerary culture.
Yoke with skulls

El Tajín culture
Classic. 200-900 A.D.
Veracruz
Sculpted and polished stone

THE FACES OF DEATH BURIALS AND COMPANIONS
Mesoamerican art had different ways of representing The dead were normally mourned by their relatives in
death and the dead. In some cases, figures were simply funeral ceremonies. Their remains were either wrapped in
depicted with closed eyes, meaning that they had recently blankets and mats and then buried, or cremated so the
died, but conserved all their features. There were also ashes could be buried. There were other fairly widespread
GALLERY 7
many representations of bodies in the process of losing practices, such as placing a stone in the deceased
their flesh and becoming skeletons. person’s mouth or a mask over his face.
Skulls and skeletons were often represented in an Some of the most common funerary offerings were
animated state, as seen, for example, in representations vessels containing food or drink, as well as ceramic
of the gods of death, whose skeletal bodies sat, walked, or stone figures that may have alluded to the person’s
and carried out other activities. identity and function.
Skeletal man
Lagunillas and Ixtlán del Río
styles
300 B.C.-600 A.D.
Nayarit
Modeled and burnished clay
Depiction of a funeral
Human face with closed Shaft tomb tradition. Ixtlán del
eyes (fragment) Río style
Central Veracruz Late Preclassic-Early Classic.
Early Classic. 400-600 A.D. 300 B.C.-600 A.D.
Mixtequilla, Southern Veracruz Nayarit
Molded and modeled clay, Modeled clay, with pastillage
with chapopote and polychromy
94 Gallery 7 / Death Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 95

2. Resting dog shaped vessel
Dogs were much more important to the inhabitants
of ancient Mexico than they are among present-day
residents of Mexican cities, making it difficult for us
to comprehend their past significance. There were at
least three distinct dog breeds in Pre-Columbian times.
GALLERY 7
Dogs accompanied humans throughout their lives, and
were domesticated animals in the fullest sense of the
word, even sleeping at night with people. Sometimes a
dog would be sacrificed following a person’s death, so
the animal’s soul could accompany that of its master,
although a clay dog would sometimes be placed in the
grave instead. Western shaft tombs were characterized
by the use of large groups of burial companions, including
ceramic dogs, which recreated the deceased person’s
environment, as if part of his community accompanied
him in death.
Figure of a robust dog in

Resting dog shaped vessel attentive attitude
Shaft tomb tradition. Comala Shaft tomb tradition. Comala
style style
Late Preclassic-Early Classic. Late Preclassic-Early Classic.
300 B.C.-600 A.D. 300 B.C.-600 A.D.
Colima Colima
Modeled, incised and Modeled, incised and
burnished clay burnished clay

OFFERINGS IN THE MEZCALA TRADITION
All pieces exhibited in museums once pertained to

specific contexts that lent them meaning. But over
time, for reasons of study and cataloguing, or given
the manner in which they were sorted and stored in
GALLERY 7
warehouses and showcases, individual pieces would be
separated from the groups that originally accompanied
them: vessels would be placed with vessels, masks
with masks, stone sculptures with other similar ones. In
many cases, it is impossible to reconstruct the original
contexts, but archaeological investigation and studies of
the styles and functions of different objects may give us
an approximation.
Most stone objects grouped under the label “Mezcala”
were used in funerary offerings. We call them offerings
because the objects were dedicated to the deceased and
were buried with their remains. Many of these objects
seem to have been intended to recreate a space or
context, and to provide companionship for the dead.
Burials included representations of temples, and
figures of people and animals that seemed to reflect the
individual’s social surroundings, while the masks that have
been uncovered seem to have been attached to funeral
bundles. Individuals of high status were probably buried
along with their scepter or staff of office. The original
groupings likely resembled the ones seen here.
Model of a building Mask of a human face with

Mezcala tradition wide open mouth and eyes
Late Preclassic-Late Classic. Mezcala tradition
500 B.C.-900 A.D. Late Preclassic-Late Classic.
Middle Balsas River basin 500 B.C.-900 A.D.
Scabbled, carved and Middle Balsas River basin
polished stone Carved and polished stone

GALLERY 7
Monkey
Mezcala tradition
500 B.C.-900 A.D.
Stone cut out by abrading,
carved and polished
3. Mural painting fragment

Mesoamerican cultures believed in the existence of an
underworld where the souls of the dead would arrive after
traveling from their gravesites for four years. At the
end of this voyage, they would present themselves upon
the lord and lady of death, and their souls would be
fragmented and scattered around the world.
This painting likely represents this place of death. A
dancing man has a completely fleshless head. Two skulls
are seen lying on the ground, one of them apparently in
flames. A priest with a sacrificial dagger tied to his waist
carries out the ritual sacrifice of a quail.
The painting’s iconography and style are unsettling.
The color and format are not distant from the Teotihuacan
tradition, but it also depicts elements characteristic of the
Gulf Coast.
(Following pages)
Tripod container with Mural painting fragment with
zoomorphic lid a scene alluding to death and
Mezcala tradition sacrifice
Late Preclassic-Early Classic. Classic. 200-900 A.D.
Ca. 300 B.C.-600 A.D. Gulf Coast or Central Mexico
Middle Balsas River basin Plateau
Carved and polished stone Mural painting on stucco

GALLERY 7
SHAFT TOMB
The cultures of Western Mesoamerica placed their dead

in underground cavities that could be up to twenty meters
deep. Vertical shafts similar to wells were dug, and a
mortuary chamber would be excavated at the bottom.
GALLERY 7
Most of these were collective tombs, where several
members of a single family would be buried. The dead
were surrounded by numerous vessels, resembling a
sumptuous banquet. In fact, a real banquet was likely
held on the surface, leaving the deceased in the funerary
chamber with enough food and drink for the voyage to be
taken by his or her soul.
These deep chambers contained numerous
anthropomorphic and animal figures that recreated an
atmosphere of life that would accompany and encourage
the deceased on their final voyage.
Eating coati
style
300 B.C.-600 A.D.
Colima
Modeled clay Shaft tomb

Cultural changes:
became “pueblos de indios”, and each of them had
its own town hall or government. Despite losing
their lands and the burdens of the tax laws, several
the 16th century populations managed to maintain a way of life based

on their former economic activities, incorporating
some technological innovations, such as the use of
GALLERY 8
iron, the pulley, and the waterwheel.

Over time, indigenous nobility assimilated
European customs. The leaders adopted the use of
the cape, the sword, and the hat, and many of them
The 16th century in New Spain was a period of learned how to ride horses.
profound changes, always marked by the oscillation
between the indigenous cultural components and
those of European origin. During the conquest
there were violent battles, such as the one held at
Tenochtitlan, but also alliances and negotiations,
such as those that took place in Tlaxcala.
The Spaniards removed or destroyed the
sculptures of indigenous deities, persecuted the
ancient priests, and forbade ritual sacrifices. The
friars began baptizing indigenous people and
instructing them in the Catholic religion.
The sound of the drums in the temples was
replaced by the church bells in order to announce
the Liturgy of the Hours, although some Pre-
Columbian dances continued being practiced,
accompanied by the rhythm of smaller drums.
The artisans adapted the Mesoamerican
techniques to craft objects for the Catholic worship,
such as baptismal fonts, sculptures of Christ and the
saints, ceramic objects, feather banners, and gold
ornaments.
In the field of the government and civil life, some
members of the indigenous nobility preserved their
identity, customs, and traditional authorities. They

GALLERY 8
108 Gallery 8 / Cultural changes: the 16th century Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 109
GALLERY 8
GALLERY 8
MUSEO AMPARO
Museo Amparo is a private institution committed to

preserve, research, display, and disclose Pre-Columbian,
viceregal, modern, and contemporary Mexican art.
Founded by Manuel Espinosa Yglesias and his
daughter, Ángeles Espinosa Yglesias Rugarcía, the
Museum opened its doors on February 28, 1991 with
the goal of providing an overview of Mexican art from the
Pre-Columbian period to the present day.
Based in the historical downtown area of Puebla,
the Museum is housed in a magnificent viceregal building,
built in 1538 for the San Juan de Letrán Hospital, which
was the city’s first health institution. The first architectural
renewal project for the exhibition rooms and galleries,
as well as the initial museographic display was led by
renowned architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez.
On its 20th anniversary, Fundación Amparo undertook
a renovation project in collaboration with architect Enrique
Norten, with the goal of enhancing the experience
of visitors and upgrading the spaces in harmonic
coexistence with the architectural heritage, providing a
better conservation of the building and the collections.
The Permanent Collection holds more than 1700
pieces of Pre-Columbian art, which reflect the artistic and
cultural diversity of the inhabitants of ancient Mexico; as
well as over 1300 pieces from the viceregal period and
the 19th and 20th centuries. Besides, it gathers over 400
contemporary artworks.
The Museum also has an ongoing program of national
and international temporary exhibitions as well as an
intensive program of academic, artistic, educational, and
ludic activities for all age groups.
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Mini Guia Prehispanica Ingles

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A Tour of

Text | Pablo Escalante Gonzalbo

General Director | Lucia I. Alonso Espinosa

Text | Pablo Escalante Gonzalbo

106 Gallery 8 / Cultural changes: the 16th century

2 Sur 708, Centro Histórico, Puebla, Pue.,

MuseoAmparo.Puebla MuseoAmparo museoamparo museoamparo

8 Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 9

an interlocutor, is an exemplary representation of rulers in

Throne backrest with a sovereign, a courtier

10 Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 11

Around the year 5000 b.c., groups of hunters and

MESOAMERICA’S HISTORICAL PROCESS /

Agricultural prosperity, storable surpluses, and social

14 Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 15

MESOAMERICA’S HISTORICAL PROCESS /

Mesoamerican religion developed gradually from the

There is no such thing as civilization without commerce:

Seated on their thrones made of reeds and basketwork,

Baja California Sur

Ixtlán del Río Dzibilchaltún

Guanajuato Ranas Yucatán

Ancient Mexico was home to a huge variety of cultures.

The natural world, the movement of celestial bodies,

1. Woman carrying a vessel using a head strap and

Woman carrying a vessel

26 Gallery 2 / The Religious World Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 27

Myths may seem like fantastic and even outlandish tales

2. Votive axe sculpture of a plump-cheeked old man

THE STRUCTURE OF THE COSMOS

Plants and animals, mankind and its crops and villages,

28 Gallery 2 / The Religious World Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 29

30 Gallery 2 / The Religious World Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 31

5. Group of spindle whorls

Feline in a resting attitude

Coiled water snake

32 Gallery 2 / The Religious World Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 33

Rituals and ceremonies held in front of temples may

The most important religious act was the presentation of

ESSENCES, AROMAS, FIRE

The gods are invisible, light and volatile. They inhabit

34 Gallery 2 / The Religious World Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 35

8. Anthropomorphic figure with incision in thorax

36 Gallery 2 / The Religious World Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 37

One of the ceremonies that could precede a human

38 Gallery 2 / The Religious World Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 39

MAN, WOMAN, NUDITY

For a civilization that left little evidence of a generalized

40 Gallery 3 / Bodies, Faces, People Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 41

Certain cultural traditions are characterized by their quest

42 Gallery 3 / Bodies, Faces, People Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 43

Woman holding her breasts Man with hands over the

44 Gallery 3 / Bodies, Faces, People Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 45

Early artistic expressions from the Middle Preclassic and

6. Man in reflective posture

Man in reflective attitude

46 Gallery 3 / Bodies, Faces, People Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 47

Colonial codices provide evidence of a pictographic

48 Gallery 3 / Bodies, Faces, People Museo Amparo / The Pre-Columbian Collection 49