The cultural notion of "individual" as we think of it, was developed very little in the Pre-Columbian era. At that time, belonging to a group (lineage, social class or neighborhood) was the decisive fact to assign people their rights and obligations. This does not mean that the concept of person did not exist: someone with experience and merit, possessing distinctive features and a particular expression.
Occasionally, Mesoamerican art sought to capture the uniqueness of some people: such as Olmec rulers, who were portrayed in huge basalt blocks. Sometimes, stereotyped forms of faces, with little individual expression were preferred. In general and from a very early stage, Mesoamerican art ranged between naturalism and abstraction to represent the human body. In some works a detailed depiction of facial features and a general appearance of the body are shown, in some other we see schematic and even geometric shapes.
In any case, the anthropomorphic representations of Mesoamerican cultures offer rich information about clothing, adornment, body painting, and in occasions, on the gestural behavior and the expression of emotions.
