The thin orange-type pottery is one of the many Teotihuacan contributions to Mesoamerican cultural history. Unlike other Teotihuacan creations, it disappeared once it was made in the metropolis; similar clays were used in the Post-Classic, but thin orange vessels were no longer made.
In the first place, the thin orange-type vessels have a cheerful, intense and bright orange color; after burnishing they exhibit a smooth surface with a moderate sheen. The sides of these vessels are extraordinarily thin, hence the name. But if these features make the small orange pieces unique, what surprises the most is their weight: they are incredibly light in relation to their size.
Among the favorite figures of artists who produced the thin orange pieces are those in which a figure and vessel melt together, or a figure is transformed into a recipient. A reclining dog is both a large container, a foot-vessel or, as in this case, a human figure whose body becomes a vessel, as if it were a huge hump. The head of the personage that emerges from this vessel shows the typical Teotihuacan cranial deformation and a simple necklace. The headdress, made from two pompoms at the ends of the head, remind us of the "little horns" of a woman's hairstyle, but in this case it is a man's.
It is difficult to know whether this vessel was used to drink from in rituals or if it is a cup to hold liquid in a burial offering.
The thin orange pottery was manufactured exclusively in Teotihuacan, with clay from the region of Cholula. The designs follow Teotihuacan models and themes. It appears to be some kind of monopoly. So we do not hesitate to point to Teotihuacan as the place of origin of this vessel. However, there is the possibility that, once manufactured in the metropolis, it may have traveled to another city, as a high-value trade good or gift. The good condition of the object is striking, considering that Teotihuacan burials do not occur in vaulted crypts but shallow excavations. And the remnants often remain completely covered in earth. It might be a ceremonial object that was relatively protected by the collapse of a room, its location under some niche or near a wall.
The thin orange-type pottery is one of the many Teotihuacan contributions to Mesoamerican cultural history. Unlike other Teotihuacan creations, it disappeared once it was made in the metropolis; similar clays were used in the Post-Classic, but thin orange vessels were no longer made.
