The central figure of Mezcala burial repertoire is the human figure: images of the deceased and probably of some accompanying kin that staged a meeting or a vital presence in the grave were probably to accompany the body whose soul was in the process of traveling to the world of the dead, or even to serve as provisional receptacles for the vital essence that did not end upon separation from that body. In addition to human figures, some animals and other objects formed a part of that burial repertoire.
Pieces 528, 970 and 987 have in common the fact that they fulfill a utilitarian function, in addition to the symbolic sense with which they may have been included in some tomb.
No doubt this figure represents a bird, and we must suppose that it is a hummingbird due to the roundness of the head and the sharpness of the beak; although the legs are also very thick. We should discard other important birds such as the eagle, quail or turkey, because it bears no further resemblance to them. Among the smaller birds, perhaps the carpenter bird and hummingbird are the most important to Mesoamerican mythology.
This small bird is at the same time a recipient, such that its body and the quadrangular cavity are one and the same. What is most probable is that the recipient had been used to contain some substance as an offering; perhaps the ash of a small sacrifice, or copal.
The central figure of Mezcala burial repertoire is the human figure: images of the deceased and probably of some accompanying kin that staged a meeting or a vital presence in the grave were probably to accompany the body whose soul was in the process of traveling to the world of the dead, or even to serve as provisional receptacles for the vital essence that did not end upon separation from that body. In addition to human figures, some animals and other objects formed a part of that burial repertoire.
