Jalisco Vessel in the Form of a Hunchback - PF.1425,Origin: Western Mexico,Circa: 300 BC to 300 AD,Dimensions: 11.25" (28.6cm) high x 8" (20.3cm) wide,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Jalisco,Medium: Terracotta. In ancient Mexico, hunchbacks were thought to be blessed by the Gods, and were treated with great respect. They appear frequently in tomb art, usually in the context of magic and ritual. This individual's deformities--the curve of his back and the thinness of his limbs--are exaggerated with expressionistic power. In his mouth, he holds an odd object. It has been suggested that this represents the bubble of life, the last breath of the dying. More likely however, it is the hallucinagenic peyote bud, used to induce trances and communicate with the spirit world. Lost in his dreams, he stares at visions unseen by the rest of us, he is oblivious to the passage of time.

Antiquities
Ancient Central America & Mexico