Pre-Columbian Chupicuaro Figure

This lovely Chupicuaro lady wears an elaborate coiffure, large ear plugs, and a beaded jade necklace, all of which were highly prized by Chupicuaro nobility. The figure's coffee-bean shaped eyes and overall flatness are also characteristic of pieces from the region. Archaeologists are unsure of what these miniature figures were used for, but the fact that they are found throughout the Valley of Mexico indicates that they were an important symbol for the region. Scholars suggest that they represent a fertility goddess or a young woman in the prime of her life. While most were left unpainted, evidence of some color is seen in this example on the arms, face and necklace.

One of the oldest in Mesoamerica, the Chupícuaro ceramic tradition includes figurines of diminutive ladies as well as vessels in a great variety of shapes, including unusual forms such as the stirrup-spout. Chupicuaro's influence in the Valley of México is evidenced by large amounts of petite and highly adorned figurines as well as numerous polychrome vessels. 

500 BC - 300 AD

2" wide x 4" high