Changing the anatomical proportions and synthesizing the elements in the sculptural corporeality that concerns us deviate from the accentuated schematism that characterizes the Mezcala art style. Other similar figures clarify the posture: it is standing, with legs apart and hands on the abdomen. Two circular holes in the face indicate that it once had inlays such as eyes; there are only four fingers on each hand, and the back is flat, except for the slight dip that marks the neck and the groove that marks the legs. The pretense of illustrating a deformed or mutilated being is not intended and more than the representation of a particular individual, the image makes a concept tangible: that of a human engraved in a material deeply appreciated by Mesoamericans.
Chalchihuitl was the Nahuatl term to refer to green stones. Symbolically, it was related to vegetation, fertility, petrified waters, vital energy, and the precious. In this metaphorical language, the word was equated with the untouched hymen and sacred liquids like water and sacrificial blood. In this order of ideas, the historical approach to the ancient art of Mexico reveals statuettes of the image very different from those that currently determine its creation and reception. It is known that native peoples did not perceive artistic expressions as simple representations, but that in themselves they constituted what they represented, had power, and were active. In the Nahua vocabulary, "ixiptla" refers to a complex concept that encomes image and personification; the word is associated with the idea of coverage and with highly sensitive organs that allow us to see, speak, and hear. Danielle Dehouve stressed that the effectiveness of the ixiptla action lay in its appearance, technique, and attributes.
As for green and other colored stones, a common practice in Mesoamerica consisted of placing them in the mouth of corpses, to preserve their vital breath. They were also placed in cavities in the torso of anthropomorphic sculptures, analogous to a heart that infused them with vitality. Alfredo Lopez Austin interprets these stones as depositories of the psychic entity called "teyolia" in Nahuatl.
Based on the above, the precious material of this stone sculpture stands out. Although the concepts referred to come from ethnohistoric sources typical of the Nahua world, countless evidence and indications the cultural unity built on a large scale by the societies that gave rise to Mesoamerica, among them, of course, the bearers of the Mezcala cultural tradition.
This is a long-term development in an extensive region around the central section of the Balsas River, in the states of Guerrero and neighboring areas of Morelos, the State of Mexico, and Michoacan. Lapidary constitutes their most recognized art form so far. The figurative repertoire created is limited and the forms are presented in closed volumes. The features and the fine polish elevate the materiality; it is the protagonist of the image. Based on the Mesoamerican system of thought, it is wise to qualify this green stone sculpture as a human-jewel with vital agency. Perhaps, to highlight its vitality, originally the figure had shell eyes in the sockets of the face that today are empty. Other pieces of the Mezcala style, some in Amparo Museum's collection, preserve bits of the shell material, whose color contrasts with that of the and emphasizes the gaze of these stone beings.
