In a territory devoid of stone where even the architecture would have been made from earth to shape the temples of the pristine cities, it is conceivable that pottery was developed to the point where an understanding of the benefits of clay was reached that would allow for the production of great pieces of fired earth to take the place of real carved stone sculptures in ceremonial chambers.
Mostly fired in parts, the potters from the central region of Veracruz, specifically those living in the Papaloapan watershed system, produced large clay figures of exceptional artistic value. Perhaps the best known among them are from El Zapotal, which are now on exhibition at the Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa. They explore various aspects of human behavior through a variety of themes as they portray the gods and delve into the complex world of animal symbolism.
However, a recurring theme in the works of such prominent potters of antiquity is the full body representation of men and women. The insistence on details, accompanied by truly endless artistic forms, sometimes suggest portraits. These pieces portray such knowledge of human nature, the expressions and gestures that accompany certain types of conduct, that it seems as if they all took on the essence of human beings and not just their physical appearance.
There is also a certain cleanliness to the execution of these fired clay works that you can be sure that such skilled potters were organized into guilds; it was not only a matter of artistic abilities, but also a matter of skills and technical training.
Our piece corresponds to the representation of a face, today, unfortunately, separated from the body to which it formerly belonged. Looking at it from the front, a series of cavities in the forehead are immediately identified, there are two more on the temples and one in the mouth; these are "vents" deliberately bored into the face with the intent of preventing the figure from bursting in the high temperatures generated by the ovens during the firing process. The eyes are distinguished by pupils marked with a touch of black paint, the nose appears well-formed and the mouth ajar. It is interesting to note that the upper teeth were lowered in order to highlight the middle ones; it is the representation of a form of dental decoration reserved for the privileged strata of society. The piece was modeled in a clay that is characteristic of the region of Tierra Blanca and was probably made in the years between 600 and 900 of our era.
In a territory devoid of stone where even the architecture would have been made from earth to shape the temples of the pristine cities, it is conceivable that pottery was developed to the point where an understanding of the benefits of clay was reached that would allow for the production of great pieces of fired earth to take the place of real carved stone sculptures in ceremonial chambers.
