More than a Meal: Intimacy in Artistic Renditions of Animals in Central Jalisco and Greater West Mexico

Summary

This is an abstract from the "From the Underworld to the Heavens: Expanding the Study of Central Jalisco’s Past" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Representations of animals rendered in carefully molded clay and precious stone pervade the artistic record throughout pre-Classic and early Classic period sites in central Jalisco, Colima, and beyond. While recent scholarship in this region focused on depictions of human experiences, much can now be said about the relationship between the animal imagery, and the artisan. This paper explores human interaction with these expertly crafted animals, particularly dogs and birds, illuminating a relationship extending beyond sustenance or economic value.

The ubiquity of animal imagery in the artistic record supports their more nuanced role in the region. While dogs were certainly part of the economy and a food source in West Mexico, this does not represent the full extent of their significance. Evidence from burials and artistic depictions showing interactions between humans and canines demonstrate a close bond between members of these species in both life and death. Likewise, a plethora of artistic renditions of birds pervades the archaeological record of this region that references their living counterparts. By representing these animals in great anatomical detail and crafting them from precious materials through careful processes of making, a deeper connection emerges between the artisan and the subject materialized in the artistic record.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• From the Underworld to the Heavens: Expanding the Study of Central Jalisco’s Past

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 50736