In the Preclassic village stage, before 1200 BC, in Mesoamerica, but especially in the Valley of Mexico and in the Upper Balsas River Basin, a ceramic tradition of ritual use characterized by the making of small (about 10 cm.) solid anthropomorphic figures, generally but not exclusively feminine, had developed. Often, these figures showed inflated thighs and somewhat stiff limbs. In the Olmec stage, i.e. in the Middle Preclassic (1200-500 BC), another type of figure emerged, some of which were larger than usual in the village stage (20 cm. tall or more), with engobe and polished (which gave them bright finishes), and they were hollow. These new figures appeared at the same time as different types of vases, pieces of jade and other symbolic manifestations that we know as Olmec.
On some occasions there seems to have been a synthesis of the two types of figures, so that solid, larger pieces were made; simple figures, naked but with engobes that gave the pieces a yellow and reddish coloration.
This female figure would seem to correspond to the fusion of the village tradition of the thick-thigh female figures and the specifically Olmec modality. In spite of the roughness of the finish, the use of ocher or cream and red engobes is noticed, which contribute to the definition of the human figure. What is most characteristically Olmec is the face: cranial deformation, slanted eyes, noticeably bulging lips.
It is common for the Preclassic clay figures, in general, to have a facial expression and more motion than those that we see in the Classic period. To this expressivity the search for some postures of certain intimate or emotional content was added, in the Olmec stage, which was in some cases reflective or introspective.
In this piece we see a movement of the hands together towards the chest, near the shoulder, which accompanies semi-open lips and a head that turns to the side and slightly raises the chin. The pastillage endows the headdress with flare and realism. The engobes, differentiated for hair and skin, contribute to the realism of the piece, despite the schematism that persists, especially in the abdomen and extremities.
The study of both phenomena, the mixture of both traditions and their coexistence in some places, can be key in understanding the Olmec phenomenon, or how an elite style and iconography marked several regional developments.
In the Preclassic village stage, before 1200 BC, in Mesoamerica, but especially in the Valley of Mexico and in the Upper Balsas River Basin, a ceramic tradition of ritual use characterized by the making of small (about 10 cm.) solid anthropomorphic figures, generally but not exclusively feminine, had developed. Often, these figures showed inflated thighs and somewhat stiff limbs. In the Olmec stage, i.e. in the Middle Preclassic (1200-500 BC), another type of figure emerged, some of which were larger than usual in the village stage (20 cm. tall or more), with engobe and polished (which gave them bright finishes), and they were hollow. These new figures appeared at the same time as different types of vases, pieces of jade and other symbolic manifestations that we know as Olmec.
