About this artwork
In West Mexico, chiefdoms and statelike societies flourished between A.D. 100 and 800. Advanced agriculture, extensive trade routes, and elaborate religious festivals echoed developments in other regions of ancient Mesoamerica. The distinctive West Mexican sculptures were often included as offerings in tombs that illustrate important themes of life and the afterlife. This model of a circular ceremonial center depicts houselike temples, populated by flute players, a drummer, conch-shell trumpeters, dancers, women with children, and animals. A masked figure—likely the ruler—stands atop the central stepped pyramid.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 136
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Department
- Arts of the Americas
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Culture
- Nayarit
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Title
- Model Depicting a Ritual Center
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Place
- Nayarit state (Object made in)
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Date
- 100 CE–800 CE
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Medium
- Ceramic and pigment
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Dimensions
- 33 × 47 cm (13 × 18 1/2 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of Ethel and Julian Goldsmith
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Reference Number
- 1989.639
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/75238/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.