SW Mexico, Guerrero, Mezcala

700-200 BCE

Diorite

4 5/8 x 2 1/8 x 1 3/8" OVERALL

Although little is known about the Mezcala culture, many scholars believe it formed an important cultural bridge between earlier Pre-Columbian societies and later ones who traded Mezcala objects and incorporated aspects of their aesthetics. Most Mezcala figurines are notable for their striking abstract appearance, a result of their spare, geometric representations of the human body. Such artifacts are important teaching tools used by UCSB professors in departments as varied as Anthropology, History of Art and Architecture, and History. Used in concert with the balance of the Museums Pre-Columbian holdings, which number over 800 objects, they help demonstrate how and why certain cultures developed. Number 488 and diorite M4 on reverse.

700-200 BCE

Caroline Tarbell Tupper Collection of Pre-Columbian Art

2014.008.003