Standing man

The purpose of the works of the Mezcala tradition was to enrich the burial services in the Middle Balsas River basin. Everything indicates that the majority of the pieces were used locally at the time they were manufactured. However, some pieces of the Mezcala tradition or imitations of them appeared in different sites, such as Teotihuacan. It was either through tribute or due to trade networks that the Teotihuacans learned of the stone carving tradition of the south and considered it interesting enough to acquire pieces to complete their own offerings.

It is worth noting that some pieces close to the Mezcala tradition also show a series of features that we find in Teotihuacan. This piece, together with the one with record number 959, is similar to Mezcala works due to the material, as they are symmetric representations of the human figure in which the body shows a certain sturdiness, with the arms at its sides. However, there are features in them that are somewhat irrelevant or non-existent in Mezcala tradition, such as the drawing of body folds; the groins and nipples in this figure, and the forearms and ankles in 959. Both figurines have a significant resemblance to pieces found in Teotihuacan offerings.

As we take a closer look at the subject, we are able to make more accurate classifications and distinctions in order to comprehend the Mezcala tradition, and the hypothesis that the artists of the Middle Balsas River also worked to satisfy certain foreign demands, especially those of Teotihuacan, in which case they would have accepted some features of the style to satisfy criteria different to local ones.