The ceramic vessels are the most distinctive work of the Chupicuaro culture. The diversity of their silhouettes are impressive; some of them show human and animal figurative features, as seen on this tripod pot made from a type of ceramics called black polychrome.
On the upper part of its perfect globular body, the synthetic shapes of a bird were added with modeling work: the head, neck, small wings and tail. The bulge of the neck allows us to identify it as a turkey (Meleagris gallopavo). It is a species that was domesticated by the Mesoamericans, who used it as food and a source of feathers, and they also attributed mythical and religious symbolic values to it. Due to its limited ability to fly, it is a bird associated with the earthly level of the cosmos.
This recipient with turkey features should be interpreted taking into the pictorial treatment that can be seen on the exterior surface, except on the base. A series of motifs are painted in black on top of cream, on a base painted red.
The motifs and arrangements are geometrical, abstract and symmetric; this polychrome decoration is also found on hollow sculptures of human figures. The repertoire of motifs and the chromatic palette are limited, however, they were combined and arranged with surprising versatility, and as Muriel Porter pointed out, a pioneer in knowledge of the Chupicuaro culture, they are arranged with careful planning of space and proportions.
In this case, there are plain triangles, triangles with one or two staggered sides, straight and serrated lines, concentric bands and ovals. The bulge of the neck is accentuated with the design of concentric ovals and triangles that look like lightening bolts that convey a sun.
The designs of the bodies are framed by two bands with plain black triangles that in turn feature plain cream triangles. On the middle part, there are two wide bands with triangles of one staggered side, in a similar sequence of chromatic alternation. The lower band is special because it presents combinations of two black triangles. On the front, we see three separate triangles and two long serrated lines, that show three other triangles on the red background.
The integral artistic composition is clever with respect to the color, the motifs, the volume, the exterior shape, the functional interior as a recipient, as well as incorporating sound. The conical s are hollow and perforated, and contain small clay balls. Our turkey vessel is also a rattle, and therefore we can deduce that it was used for rituals involving movement, mainly by the person carrying it.
