Cleveland Museum of Art

Female Figurine with Headdress

Date

1200–900 BCE

Medium

pottery with traces of white and red pigment

Culture

Mesoamerica, Central Mexico, Tlatilco, type D1

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This ceramic figurine—in the style of Tlatilco, an early village site in central Mexico—depicts a female with a headdress or hat and long hair that cascades down her back. Since many figurines from the period depict females, modern interpreters usually connect them to fertility concerns. They also seem to testify to the importance of women among early Mesoamerican cultures. The figure’s broad thighs may express beauty, or perhaps indicate a life stage.

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