Even when the woman was the predominant theme of the sculpture work of the Chupicuaro artists, which was not represented with fantastical features, the style can still not be described as realistic. It is undoubtedly figurative, even the artistic adaptation of the models prevails, and therefore the body proportions were modified in an accentuated manner. Along this line of thinking, the piece testifies to the peculiar efforts of the sculptor, within the corresponding stylistic canons, to reproduce the anatomy of the feminine form. Using our modern perspective, we can consider that this was not achieved very well but, with historical retrospection, we can assume that to the society which settled in the Valley of Acambaro during the last centuries before our era, this was an outstanding "realistic" piece of work.
The comparison with other similar pieces makes us aware of this anatomical intention. Observers of this piece can carry out a comparative exercise with a magnificent sculpture of the same stylistic methods also exhibited in the Amparo Museum. This one is also a standing figure and shows geometric decoration on the face and body.
The features that denote these efforts to reproduce the human anatomy include: The head shows cranial deformation, but it is not overly tall, nor too rectangular, and its upper edges are rounded. We can see the modeled eyebrows and eyelids as embossed forms; the round cheeks protrude and there are even certain indents on the sides of the mouth to show a smile. The mouth's corners are turned upwards and there is an attempt to shape the lips; the chin is present with a "normal" slant and the neck is also shaped. On each hand there are five long fingers; on the torso we can see the ribs and vulva; the legs are turned and the feet can be seen with protruding malleolus bones and the toes marked individually, including nails. From the behind, we can see the shoulder blades and buttocks, and a linear depression showing the spinal column.
It is very feasible that when faced with the challenge of capturing new and original forms in the framework of certain tradition and artistic conventions, a skilled artist would have not been very effective. I propose as a hypothesis that behind the realistic efforts described, there was imitation work of sculpture from somewhere else and from another culture, and it is not a natural model.
It could be a piece of the Ameca-Etzatlan style, from the shaft tomb culture, which developed in the present-day states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima and the bordering areas of Zacatecas and Michoacan between the years 300 B.C. and 600 A.D. It was partly contemporary and it was geographically close to the Chupicuaro culture in Southeastern Guanajuato. In addition, the Lerma river was used as a clear connecting route.
The Ameca-Etzatlan style was created in the central valleys of Jalisco and it is one of the most prevalent of this culture. The collection at the Amparo Museum contains outstanding examples. In particular, the features of this Chupicuaro piece that can be identified from this other style are: the absence of geometric decoration on the body; the modeling of the eyebrows, eyelids, lips and buttocks; the detail of the fingers and above all, the nails of the toes. There are also red and cream colors painted on the surface.
The formal comparison above exposes the possibility that this piece, with its only partially achieved realism, bears witness to the historical links between the renowned cultures of Western Mesoamerica.
Even when the woman was the predominant theme of the sculpture work of the Chupicuaro artists, which was not represented with fantastical features, the style can still not be described as realistic. It is undoubtedly figurative, even the artistic adaptation of the models prevails, and therefore the body proportions were modified in an accentuated manner. Along this line of thinking, the piece testifies to the peculiar efforts of the sculptor, within the corresponding stylistic canons, to reproduce the anatomy of the feminine form. Using our modern perspective, we can consider that this was not achieved very well but, with historical retrospection, we can assume that to the society which settled in the Valley of Acambaro during the last centuries before our era, this was an outstanding "realistic" piece of work.
