Vessel in the Form of a Figure with Geometric Face and Body Paint c. 500

This vessel in the form of a figure, with geometric face and body paint, was made by the Chupícuaro people. It's terracotta, and the methods used to create it are ancient and deeply rooted in the landscape itself. The Chupícuaro people sourced their clay from the earth, shaping it by hand, perhaps using simple molds. The painting is done with natural pigments, oxides, and minerals, which once applied, would have been fired in an open hearth to harden the clay and fix the colors. What strikes me most is the combination of the human form with geometric abstraction. This tells us that for the Chupícuaro, the human and the symbolic were not separate categories. It is a vessel; it contained something, perhaps water, perhaps something more precious. This intertwining of practicality, symbolism, and skilled handwork is something to admire, as it blurs any line between art, craft, and daily life.