To the south of the Laguna de Alvarado, a large relatively dispersed population settled on the floodplains that belong to the present-day municipalities of Tlalixcoyan and Tierra Blanca. Archaeological excavations led by Medellin Zenil from 1953 in Los Cerros and Dicha Tuerta, then in Nopiloa (1957-58) and Apachital (1962) allowed the establishment of the regional identity of this part of the Veracruz coastal plain; a culture of clay and adobe, given that the land does not offer an abundance of stone. Medellin himself did not assign any occupancy before the year 300 A.D. to the Los Cerros site. Nopiloa comes even later in the chronological sequence proposed for the cultural area. His excavations only provided a body of relevant data for this era and up to the year 900 A.D.
However, this does not mean that this territory, marked by great rivers, had not been the subject of prior cultural activity. In fact, the information gathered by Medellin only ed for a marked change in the pattern of settlements, which later would have determined the population of Los Cerros and sites as important as Dicha Tuerta, Nopiloa and Apachital. Several regional centers flourished in the Late Classic period to define the artistic style that we can recognize today in an exemplary production of true clay sculptures.
The firing of such unique pieces, many of which are hollow, presupposed the development of a technique that prevented shattering. To achieve this, recesses (openings in the fresh clay) were left to allow the steam to easily escape during firing. This was surely done outdoors given the size of the pieces, surrounding them with firewood and monitoring the uniform distribution of heat.
This seated cross-legged figure is a young man with his mouth open, hollow inside, dressed in simple attire, but his importance in society is noted by the large cylindrical earrings. The headdress is simply a discrete band that fits the forehead. The face is of unparalleled expressive force, the mouth and eyes devoid of pupils make it look lifeless. However, the torso appears full of strength, hands resting on his knees, his legs are vigorous and end in large feet with the fingers and nails delicately outlined. The piece must come from an ancient ceremonial landfill given its perfect state of conservation. Judging from the fractures, it may have been broken at the moment it was excavated from the deposit where it was preserved, but if the head was severed from the body in ancient times, then it may have been ritually "killed".
To the south of the Laguna de Alvarado, a large relatively dispersed population settled on the floodplains that belong to the present-day municipalities of Tlalixcoyan and Tierra Blanca. Archaeological excavations led by Medellin Zenil from 1953 in Los Cerros and Dicha Tuerta, then in Nopiloa (1957-58) and Apachital (1962) allowed the establishment of the regional identity of this part of the Veracruz coastal plain; a culture of clay and adobe, given that the land does not offer an abundance of stone. Medellin himself did not assign any occupancy before the year 300 A.D. to the Los Cerros site. Nopiloa comes even later in the chronological sequence proposed for the cultural area. His excavations only provided a body of relevant data for this era and up to the year 900 A.D.
