In the repertoire of Mesoamerican clothing, the máxtlatl is a male garment for covering the genitals; it is a piece of cloth that is ed between the legs and tied at the waist. In the western region, however, it appears frequently in the female images of the stylistic modality called Tuxcacuesco-Ortices.
This artistic style is part of the shaft tomb culture, whose territory covered most of the western region: southern Sinaloa and Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima and neighboring parts of Michoacán. It is present, approximately, between 300 BC and 600 AD. One of its characteristics is the strong imprint of the identities of the different communities that comprised it, spread over this vast space. These identities, among other facets, were masterfully captured in ceramic sculptural art. Its regional styles are named after their places of origin. In the case of the piece we are discussing, Tuxcacuesco is a town in the south of Jalisco, while Ortices is located in the valley of Colima.
The work is solidly structured and small in format and ascribes to the Tuxcacuesco-Ortices style, in a sub-variant with a realistic appearance and incised eyes that Carolyn Baus Reed Czitrom called subtype Vb.
Among the qualities shared by the different regional styles of the shaft tomb culture, I identify its production as based on the modeling technique with a full figurative three-dimensionality, which means that all its aspects provide information, since the artists did not only give details of the front, Then, a third quality is its emphasis on the semi-nude anatomy of people, whether women or men.
In this sense, if we look at the front and back of the máxtlatl, we see that it has delicate incisions that represent the folds of the cloth that goes between the legs; in the front, the cloth hangs down, forming a kind of apron, while in the back, on either side of the cloth gathered in the center, we can see the rounded naked buttocks. In keeping with the three-dimensional representation of the outfit, the headdress and necklace continue on the back (traces of the necklace remain). On the side seen to the woman's left is the sash with the tassel with which she tied the máxtlatl around her waist. It is worth noting that the “apron” has raised edges and lines that suggest embroidery.
The features are extremely delicate, with nostrils and a slightly open mouth with individually marked teeth. The small breasts (one is missing), the slim torso and the wide hips fully identify her as a woman. Despite the fact that the piece has lost a fragment, the other arm allows us to complete its position: the arms are bent at right angles and the hands (with the fingers highlighted) are together at the level of the abdomen. The shoulders and legs appear to belong to an athletic woman, although this cannot be confirmed, and the delicate sinuosity of the knees and calves is attractive.
Likewise, the thighs are decorated with a rhomboid-shaped pattern, with circles being drawn in each rhomboid and triangle that is formed. The lower edge is bordered with bands which at first glance look like shorts, but they do not continue at the back, which is why I think they are body paintings or tattoos.
The jewelry is complemented with large spherical earpieces and bracelets. The fine workmanship and the attire might portray a person of high status in the community. Its magnificent state of conservation could correspond to its origin in a burial context, as an offering or grave goods. As I have suggested, the vital three-dimensional and anatomical corporeality that it presents is consistent with the supernatural religious functions that it may have carried out in these underworld mortuary environments.
