As in the case of other figures of this kind in the collection of the Amparo Museum, this clay sculpture alludes to the fusion of man and Tlacuache, but with different details. It shares the pointed snout, sharp teeth, small round ears, short arms or front feet and the same oddly short tail. The notable difference is that this is a pair of those fantastical characters in a different posture: standing and hugging.
Besides the theme of the metamorphosis of man-Tlacuache, that of duality is vividly expressed. The two beings are similar, but differentiated by their color, one painted all in red and the other with the natural tone of the clay and a painted red face.
The conflict and harmony that articulate their beliefs are expressed in different ways in Tlatilco art, with masks divided between life and death or figurines with two faces or two heads. In this work, each character evokes the complete fusion between man and Tlacuache, but between them there exists a difference. Are they complements or opposites? Are they hugging or fighting? Or, through color, they attempt to suggest different stages in a single process of transformation. It is truly an enigmatic effigy removed from all anecdotal expression.
As in the case of other figures of this kind in the collection of the Amparo Museum, this clay sculpture alludes to the fusion of man and Tlacuache, but with different details. It shares the pointed snout, sharp teeth, small round ears, short arms or front feet and the same oddly short tail. The notable difference is that this is a pair of those fantastical characters in a different posture: standing and hugging.
