Limestone figure of an old man and
boy
Huastec, AD 900-1521
From
Mexico
Stone sculptures of elderly figures are a
recurring theme in Huastec art. They are always represented in the
same posture: leaning forward, with out-stretched arms holding a
staff or planting stick. This example represents a variation: here
the planting stick has been replaced by a boy in a rigid
posture.
The figures are
generally very schematic, with greater detail shown on the face and
hands. Some, as in this case, wear a loincloth and an adornment on
the shoulders. Their shaven heads show cranial deformation, a
common practice among the Huastec. Dental mutilation, as seen in
many pottery figures with filed teeth, was also common. These
practices were described by sixteenth-century chroniclers and are
confirmed by skeletal remains found in the northern area of the
Gulf Coast, where the Huastec were centred right up to the Spanish
conquest. Facial scarification was also practised among the
nobility as a symbol of high
status.
Similar sculptures
are still used today as the focus of ceremonial life in remote
rural villages. At planting time they are dressed up with greenery
and flowers and people entreat them to ensure the fertility of
their fields.
L. Manzanilla and L. López Luján, Historia antigua de México, vo (Mexico, UNAM / Instituto Nacional de Antropoligía e Historia, 1995)
C. McEwan, Ancient Mexico in the British (London, The British Museum Press, 1994)
M. Ryan (ed.), The art of ancient Mexico, exh. cat. (London, South Bank Centre, 1992)