Parrot

It is feasible to think that the two sculptures depict parrots and not macaws, given that these have a much longer tail, even though the first could be a macaw since the curved incised lines around the eyes imply exposed skin and the sinuous appearance of the area around the eye of the bird. The brilliant and multicolored plumage of this type of bird was highly appreciated by the Mesoamericans; nevertheless, in this pair of works it stands out that the artists did not capture the feathers nor the coloration, unless it was red, yet in attention to the natural facts, the plumage would not be entirely this color.

In this fashion, the artists indicated other features such as the hooked shape of the beak, the feet with two toes in front and two behind, and the short round wings. Concerning the physiognomic details, there is a prevalence of the principal characteristics of the Comala style: the round forms and the red monochrome surface which is also smooth, polished and burnished. In the sculpture on the right there is a slight variation in the coloring of the beak, which appears to be a little lighter with a slight orange tone that does not contrast with the generally monochrome appearance.

Parrots stand out in the iconographic repertoire of the shaft tombs; they are found as medium format sculptures, sculptural vessels, water jug holders and in the form of kneelers (in pews for example). They are also seen standing, usually in groups in trees that have a circular platform as a base, whether these trees have been modeled alone or as part of ritual scenes involving humans, or developed in spaces with buildings. Such trees symbolize an "axis mundi", the axis that communicates with the three basic levels of the cosmos in a vertical schema: celestial, terrestrial and the underworld; in a very clear manner the parrots are associated with the highest level, since they are positioned in the high branches, and at the summit.

It is also seen in cases of sculptural ritual scenes that take place in the guachimontones- the circular and concentric complexes constituting an original creation of the culture of the shaft tombs- or in other types of religious buildings or perhaps also of a residential nature. The link with the higher world is notable because in these buildings the parrots are always located on the roofs, which are very high, the type known as a “hip roof”. These representations allow me to deduce that the parrots are d with the celestial sphere of the cosmos; simultaneously, they were an insignia of the highest hierarchy as they would perch on certain buildings and give form to the kneelers that were used by dignitaries.

It is very possible that the plumage of the parrots and macaws was used in the feather headdresses- modeled as extension elements- that are worn by the principal characters in religious ceremonies, such as the “volador” (flyer) that ascends and descends by means of a pole –the axis mundi– and in those that take place in los guachimontones. In the context of Mesoamerica the relation of parrots with the celestial region in particular concerns the Sun and Venus; their habits model the pattern for understanding this linkage.

The ornithologist Lourdes Navarijo mentions that flocks of parrots have two distinct peaks of activity, one in the morning just before sunrise, when they begin their flight from their territories of rest to their feeding grounds, and one at dusk the birds return to the resting place for the night. In this way, they precede the sun both in its daily age and when it is setting on its nocturnal journey; therefore, the parrot is equated with the planet Venus. It is very likely that they were recognized as beings that connected the terrestrial and celestial levels in which they traveled, and as well as messengers between the celestial gods and the humans because of their recognized abilities of voice and song.