Human figure, seated

While most West Mexican artists drew inspiration from their lively communities and the natural world around them, Mezcala artists developed a highly stylized and conceptual approach to sculpted images of persons, animals, and buildings (see MMA 1979.206.1208, 1994.35.633). The simplified human figures they created are depicted wearing neither clothing nor ornamentation of any kind. They show no indication of gender, group identification, social position, or even any sign of whether they might represent earthly humans or spiritual beings.

Despite its diminutive size, this figure projects a powerful aura of monumentality. At only three-and-a-half inches high it easily fits into the palm of the hand and may have been held during private or public rituals before being interred. The small block of luminous stone has been modified only to the extent essential to create the generalized image of a seated person. With knees raised and arms held to the sides, the figure appears to gaze upward. Smaller elements, such as ears, eyes, mouth, hands, and feet are not depicted, and arms and legs are rendered in low relief. The primary emphasis is on the head with its rounded cheeks, and large nose.

Interest in Mezcala sculptures continued centuries after their creation. In the 15th century, a number were deposited in the Templo Mayor, the principal temple in the Mexica (Aztec) capital of Tenochtitlan. For the Mexica, the gathering of works from across their empire and from the distant past, were signs of their power, emanating from the past and into the future. This and other pieces in the Mezcala style were among the first Ancient American works of art collected by the Metropolitan Museum, a clear example of the museum’s early interest in acquiring a wide range of works from throughout the Americas. It first came into the museum on loan in 1894, and entered the permanent collection four years later, long before its highly abstract style was popularized by western art of the 20th century.

Patricia J. Sarro, 2025

Further Reading

Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes. La Cultura Mezcala y El Templo Mayor. Mexico City: Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2003.

Gay, Carlo T. E. Mezcala Stone Sculpture, The Human Figure. New York: The Museum of Primitive Art, 1967.

Gay, Carlo and Frances Pratt. Mezcala. Ancient Stone Sculpture from Guerrero, Mexico. Geneva: Balsas Publication, 1992.

Gonzaléz Gonzaléz, Corlos Javier. Mezcala Style Anthropomorphic Artifacts in the Templo Mayor. In The Aztec Templo Mayor. Edited by Elizabeth Hill Boone, pp. 145-160. Washington: Dumbarton Oaks, 1983.

Niederberger, Christine and Rosa Ma. Reyna Robles, editors. El Pasado Arqueológico de Guerrero. Mexico City: Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2002.