In ancient Mexico the decoration of the human body was substantially significant, and of course this had multiple meanings. We can note the desire for beautification according to each society's own standards; the historic character of concepts of beauty, their changes throughout time, the contrast between traditional and fleeting trends, the variations associated with distinct groups and social hierarchies; thus, adornments may symbolize different identities. Their form, amount, outward appearance and location on the body constitute a series of qualities and values.
At the same time, in portraits of decorated individuals we see eloquent images of the very society to which they belong: they are cultural constructions that were considered necessary to materialize into an artistic expression. The structure that we see is a testament to the foregoing; the decoration of the human body is remarkable. It should be mentioned that it is not easy to speculate based on this that women living during the Classic Mesoamerican period in the vast zone of the Cuitzeo basin were naked out of habit. The findings of these works in original contexts are few, but among their functions it is convenient to highlight those of a funerary role. We do not know their purposes as company to the dead, but a succinct formal analysis points to an interesting repertoire of adornments, both temporary and permanent.
A hairstyle parted down the middle is seen - the hair looks short-, and the jewelry is made up of earrings, necklaces and bracelets. The earrings have the form of a ring or "napkin ring". They are very large, not only in diameter, but in thickness; to note this, it is necessary to see the piece from the side or at a three-quarter angle; they most likely represent shell objects. The necklace and the bracelets have the same design. They appear as elongated beads, bound in horizontal and vertical layouts; the attached ring may follow the same material as the earrings. The use of these latter ones on a person would involve the permanent piercing of the earlobe to insert them, perhaps throughout several progressive stages.
Another definitive modification of the body is the round lumps in the breasts, presented in two swaths, which can be interpreted as scarification. In principal they are scars. To produce them incisions or wounds are made on the skin following a previous design. In some cases substances are introduced to increase the volume; it is notable that they are on the breasts since the process is extremely painful as is, and because what is common for this type of figurines and in other different cultures of Western Mesoamerica is for these embossed forms to appear in the shoulder area. It would seem that they were of the utmost importance for the identity of this woman that the enormous size of the breasts contributed to the necessary surface to highlight them in the composition. It is feasible to consider them an attribute of beauty, pertaining to the elite and a transition ritual linked to femininity.
On the other hand, this work has a unique aspect: it can stand upright; usually the small sculptures of the area, including those from the Preclassic period, appear in this position, but it is impossible for them to stand upright by themselves. This feature, along with the elevated arch of the piece reflects some of the stylistic modalities of the ceramic sculpture of the shaft tomb culture, which settled in a contemporary way in Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima.
In ancient Mexico the decoration of the human body was substantially significant, and of course this had multiple meanings. We can note the desire for beautification according to each society's own standards; the historic character of concepts of beauty, their changes throughout time, the contrast between traditional and fleeting trends, the variations associated with distinct groups and social hierarchies; thus, adornments may symbolize different identities. Their form, amount, outward appearance and location on the body constitute a series of qualities and values.
