Mezcala
Miniature temple
Mezcala, 500-200
Scroll
Mezcala
Miniature temple
Mezcala, 500-200
Physical Qualities
Serpentine with an iron oxide coating, 5 1/8 in. (13 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of John and Marisol Stokes, Upper Nyack, New York
Object Number
2005.125
Mezcala refers to the style and tradition of stone sculpture produced in Formative Period (1200 B.C. - A.D. 200) Guerrero, Mexico. The Mezcala tradition includes a disparate range of forms that include standing and seated figures, masks and face panels, temple facade models, and musical instruments. Mezcala stone sculpture is recognizable for its emphasis on volume which was manipulated with minimal carving details.
Miniature temples are distinctive for their consistency in form and two-dimensional appearance. They are comprised of a platform base with central staircase; a staging platform marked by 2-6 columns and a flat or slightly rounded roof. A figure may be shown between the columns or atop the roof, as in this example.
Information supplied by donor places this object in the Ramos Collection prior to its 7/7/64 sale at Galeria Kamffer, Mexico, D.F. and NYC.
Henry Moore and the Pre-Columbian Past
Ancient Americas Rotations 2024
Paradis, Louise I. "Guerrero Region," in "Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America," edited by Susan Toby Evans and David L. Webster (New York: Garland Publishing, 2001), 311-321.
