The art of Western Mesoamerica demonstrates technical solutions so surprisingly creative that sculptures that are at least one thousand four hundred years old could for being contemporary. The increased volume of the piece we see cannot be explained in practical , by no means were lower extremities of that size necessary for the piece to remain standing; ultimately it was the sensitivity of the ceramicists of the culture of the shaft tombs and their extraordinary ability to recreate the human figure without losing its identity; the reference to the natural model.
It is not a case of a woman who has a pathological deformity, rather of one whose appearance had been modified artistically. “Elephantine” is the colloquial name given to the style that shaped it; it is little-known, and it is certain that it was of limited production. So far, it has only been identified in hollow sculptural shapes representing humans; it characterizes them by the roundness of the body, especially the legs in the case of the most distinctive pieces, such as the one in question here; it can be seen that the base of the lower extremities is flat and toes protrude at the edge as small rounded bumps resembling elephant's feet; in contrast, the arms are thin and the face has sharp features.
The style is lacking a place name that refers to its originating location, but due to its characteristics it is possible to place it in Jalisco, from the valleys of the central Highlands to the south of the state, due to it sharing the fine paste style, the cream colored engobe, the high quality firing and the absence of the female genitals with the Ameca-Etzatlan; there are similarities with the pastillage details of the Tuxcacuesco-Ortices. There are some similarities with the bulkiness of San Sebastian, yet elephantine pieces do not show the arches of the feet being raised, the fingers and toes are different, as is the head. Since to a greater or lesser extent they have attributes of containers, although it is not known if they indeed were used as such, it also makes reference to the Coahuayana, Pihuamo and Comala styles; in this piece, in addition to the opening of the vessel that the woman carries with the head strap, there is another inside, it is a circular orifice up to back part of the head.
The mecapal or mecapalli (head strap) is a Mesoamerican invention for carrying and transporting all types of objects; it is a knitted band of cotton or woven ixtle that is placed on the forehead of the bearer; the weight is ed--on occasions with the help of a crate or type of box--from the head and where appropriate is distributed across the whole back. In Precolombian art it is often associated with the image of the merchant-traveler. In our bearer a more everyday sense seems to be represented, only holding a container with straight sides, the band surrounding the large vessel and in turn the hands hold it to secure the load.
It lacks any decoration, including the hair, and in this it differs from the predominant ornamented human figuration in the sculptures of the people of the shaft tombs. Nevertheless, the respective figure is of particular interest. The face is simple and flattened in contrast with the sensuality and delicate creation of the rest of the body. The general shape is in that of a cone in which the breasts, the abdomen, the hips, the knees and the buttocks are emphasized as smooth curves; a small circular depression marks the navel.
The variations in the surface tones and colors--light brown, grey, black and red--can be attributed to firing with an unequal distribution of air; in the dark parts there would have been a reductive atmosphere, that is to say, with little oxygen; it seems likely that an open air oven was used. Concerning the possible uses of this hollow sculpture of a woman carrying a vessel as a recipient, it is worth noting that the lower part of the vessel shows wear; perhaps it held some substance or goods necessary for the deceased in their sojourn in the burial underworld. We can safely say that this is a masterpiece, one of the most outstanding items in the Amparo Museum collection.
