Fuste antropomorfo

The Toltecs initiated a new way of seeing the world in which war and sacrifice took a leading role. In addition, elements of the Late Classic (600-900 AD) converge in its representations, where Mayan and Teotihuacan elements were linked in an original way with forms and themes from Northern Mexico. At the same time, the ceremonial centers of the cities began to change. In the axis mundi there should no longer be only a base with a small temple on top, which only the ruler could climb. At this time, a greater participation of the groups linked to the government was required, which would lead to the construction of large spaces in the ceremonial centers to house them. To be able to build them, multiple columns began to be used, which were responsible for ing the heavy roofs. With the ing of time, the ceilings collapsed and only the bases of the columns remained as an architectural trace that we can still see in the cities of Tula (Hidalgo) and Chichén Itzá (Yucatán).

Piece 1560 is one more indication of the changes that occurred at the beginning of the Post-Classic and it is possible that it comes from Tula or its vicinity. Formally, the piece shows a clear presence of the curved line and the proportions of the human body; in the complete piece, there must have been close to six or seven heads, which links it with the Toltecs.

The piece was displayed on the shaft of a column and only one of its sides was carved. There, a standing woman was represented, although we do not have the lower part and only the area of the torso and the head has survived to our time.

The figure has a small band knotted on the forehead. The hair is divided into two and folded to each side and is knotted with the same ribbon from the forehead. The face is composed of a circular shape and the creation of the features bears a remarkable resemblance to the Atlantes of Tula. The eyebrows and the eye sockets are formed by a semi-circle. The eye has an almond shape and the nose is not very prominent. The mouth is sculpted with an oval shape, which in turn helps generate the cheeks of the piece.

The torso is represented in a simple way. A large necklace with thick beads hangs in a circular shape and below it a triangular shape appears, simulating a quechquemitl, which tells us that a woman is being represented.

On the sides we can see the arms. First, two converging curved lines create the biceps, and, at the level of the elbow, the arm is bent inwards in a straight line. At the end a circular shape the hands and the fingers are simulated by four lines made by grinding. A bracelet, composed of a band with small rectangles inside, was also made on each arm.

As mentioned above, the forms of this piece; curved lines, bulky decorations, and the way the face was created, refer us to the works made in Tula and Chichén Itzá, therefore we can assume that this piece was created in the Early Post-Classic in the Central Highlands.

It should also be mentioned that the back of the piece is devoid of any representation but there is a hole that goes towards the base of the piece, which was made after the column collapsed and was probably used, by means of wire s, to keep it suspended and thus be contemplated. These interventions, which were common in the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, left an evident and more destructive trace than desired of the Pre-Columbian recovery that was carried out in many villages and, in the same way, of the integration of objects of the past into everyday life.