mexico, state of puebla, las bocas, olmec style
Physical deformity is a recurring theme in Mesoamerican art. A number of
Seated hunchback holding mirror
modeled figures is paired with an object. The seated hunchback holds what
Reclining hunchback holding rectangular object
Olmec‑style objects depict hunchbacks and dwarves. Each of these deftly is probably a mirror. Actual Olmec mirrors are made of iron ore (magne‑ tite, ilmenite, or hematite), with a highly polished concave surface that
c. 1000–500 bc
both reflects and inverts an image. It is possible that the Olmec, like later
Ceramic and paint
Mesoamerican cultures, used mirrors as tools for shamanic divination and
Seated: 2 5/* × 2 5/* × 2M in. (6.7 × 6.7 × 6.4 cm)
considered them portals to the supernatural world. The reclining hunch‑
Reclining: 2M × 2 5/* × 2M in. (6.4 × 6.7 × 6.4 cm) Gift of Carolyn C. and Dan C. Williams, 1993.81, 80
back grasps a rectangular object that may be a container of pigments for body painting. It might also be a ritual implement, possibly a celt, or stone ax head. Associated with agriculture and maize, celts figured prominently in Olmec ritual and were often deposited in caches.
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ancient and native american
3121-02 DMA handbook Ancient [RCP 10-7].indd 38
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