"Smiling" Figure
300-900
Precolumbian
14 in. (35.6 cm)
Remojadas artist
Mexico
Remojadas; made in Veracruz, Mexico
Object Type:
Ceramics
Medium and Support:
Clay
Credit Line:
R. T. Miller Fund
Accession Number:
1954.39
Location: Currently on view
Smiling figures have been found in abundance in the Remojadas region of Veracruz, Mexico. A flattened head, filed teeth and raised hands are their common features. Many more heads than bodies have been found, possibly as a result of ceremonial decapitations.
These unique figures may represent laughing, happy people associated with a god of dance or music, or perhaps their smiles show the effects of intoxicants fed to victims before they were sacrificed to the gods.
[Gallery label text, 2009]