This sculpture of a lying dog, finely modeled in clay, is an example of a very particular type of ceramic called thin orange, widely distributed in Mesoamerica during the classic period, that is very common in Teotihuacan. The data regarding the context of its manufacturing and production techniques have been studied by archaeologist Evelyn Rattray of the UNAM, who shows that its production was carried out in the region of Puebla, while its distribution was under the charge of the teotihuacan, for whom the thin orange pottery was an important source of trade, used as an article intended for use by the elite as a sumptuary object.
It is a "diagnostic ceramic" which allows archaeologists to determine the presence of Teotihuacan, the largest city in the central highlands of Mexico during the time of the Classic, in different areas, some as far as Tikal and Kaminaljuyu in Guatemala. Its diffusion is taken as an indicator of the hegemony of the teotihucan, and it is linked to the establishment of major commercial networks for the trade between regions controlled by Teotihuacan. The thin orange ceramic stands out for its matte or bright orange surface, and the thinness of its walls, but above all, its exceptional lightness, must be mentioned. The forms it takes are varied; on the one hand there are utilitarian items such as dishes and glasses, tripod pots.
Similarly, other exquisitely modeled vessels are found in various shapes representing humans and animals, such as armadillos or dogs. Some examples, very similar to what we see here, are housed by the Museum of Natural History in New York, while others can be seen in the windows of the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City; and it is worth mentioning that in most cases the small dog is depicted in a sitting or coiled position.
The representation of these dogs is common among Mesoamerican pottery. As explained by the expert in zoology, Raul Valadez, they are images of xoloizcuintli, the Mexican Hairless, whose symbolism is linked to funeral practices. Early ceramic examples are found mostly among the pottery production from the tradition of shaft tombs of Colima and later in Teotihuacan, which is associated with the mortuary deposits from the housing complexes of Tetitla and La Ventilla, places where their inhabitants buried their dead under the floors, and where archaeologists located modeled vessels of thin orange shaped clay xoloizcuintli as well as bones of other dogs which are not of this race, which is proof that Pre-Hispanic men knew different types of dogs.
Despite the temporal distance between Teotihuacan and the Nahua of the XVI century of Tenochtitlan, analogies have been established and it has been proposed that the xoloizcuintli dogs accompanied the souls of the dead as they traveled to Mictlan, the underworld, which was why they were sacrificed and buried along with the dead that they should guide. It is important to note that the dogs had many other functions; We know, for example, that among the Maya these canines were used as sacrificial animals, but also served as watchdogs, while also as food, and it is conceivable that among the Teotihuacan and the Nahua they fulfilled the same function. Let's recall that Hernán Cortés and Bernal Diaz del Castillo in their chronicles and letters mention that the "little dogs were bred for food."
This sculpture of a lying dog, finely modeled in clay, is an example of a very particular type of ceramic called thin orange, widely distributed in Mesoamerica during the classic period, that is very common in Teotihuacan. The data regarding the context of its manufacturing and production techniques have been studied by archaeologist Evelyn Rattray of the UNAM, who shows that its production was carried out in the region of Puebla, while its distribution was under the charge of the teotihuacan, for whom the thin orange pottery was an important source of trade, used as an article intended for use by the elite as a sumptuary object.
