Description
It sits atop a floor blanketed in sandy, minerally, dull yellow dirt. It is a ceramic doll streaked with, dullish yellow — almost that of the sandy floor. It resembles a morbidly obese teddy bear sitting upright on a circular pan. The little legs stick out almost 2-3 inches and the right leg has a deep, straight gash along the middle of the anterior leg and the left leg has a similar line, except on the left of the line is a large chipped-off portion, almost triangular, identical to that of a flagpole with a pennant half-mast. It has a vagina. The torso is square-like and along the left, right, and bottom waistline runs a thick dull-orange line. Its arms sit across its stomach. The left forearm arm sits lower than its right and tattooed on its chest is a shark tooth design. On each side of the torso, there's a large square outline with 3 sequentially smaller outlines of squares inside. There is no neck as the sides of the imaginary jaws merge into the lower torso into one ovular-shaped object. The eyes are the outlines of black horizontal ovals with a single, horizontal black line to denote the pupils. Below each set of eyes runs 3 vertical black lines. In the middle there sits a protruding nose and below, a semi-opened, horizontal oval mouth. The top of the head is a black color that runs along the sides of the head resembling the mix of a bowl cut with the sides of a gladiator helmet. The entire back of the head is gone (only the face is present).
picture of the Villa Ahumada Polychrome Effigy Jar
Missing posterior cranium
Personal Connection
Among the rest, there was an odd aura that drew me toward this creature. It resembles a mix between an obese teddy bear and a humanoid figure. It has features of a human being: a face, arms, legs, and a humanoid physique, yet looks so much unlike one. The uncanny shape highlighted by monstrous features drew me close. The clean-cut, missing gap in the backside of its head emanates an eerie feeling — was based on a spiritual god? Was it done to ward off something? The dull eyes pierce the gaze of the viewer with their snake-like stare.
I think it looks so weird compared to all the other ceramics which makes it unique in its own special way. The weeping appearance sparked the morbid curiosity in me since it looks so otherworldly and possibly monster-like. It made me want to know why it was drawn and shaped like this and if there was a particular reason for it.
The Makers
North of Chihuahua, Mexico sits the archeological site Paquimé, alternatively known as Casas Grandes. The Mogollon culture prospered there from 1130 AD until the site was abandoned around 1450 AD. The population sat between 2000-4000 people with professions ranging from trade/commerce to artisans. It’s believed that the inhabitants worshiped Tlaloc, Quetzalcoatl, and Xipe Totec — Mesoamerican deities. The Casas Grandes area had fertile land and remained relatively untouched by drought, famine, and violence that plagued other nearby settlements. Many forms of Mogollon pottery were unique since their sphere of influence spanned southwestern and eastern North America, and their widespread contact with other regions helped create indicative works of art. The Mogollon culture spanned 5 stages with Mogollon 1 from 200 to 400 CE and eventually Mogollon 5 from 1000 to 1450 CE. Mogollon 5 saw extensive improvements to infrastructure, notably housing developments.
Creation
Casas Grandes pottery, also called Mata Ortiz pottery, involves 2 creation methods called coil and scrape or “tortilla.” The coil and scrape method first involves digging clay fresh from the ground. Afterward, the clay is molded into large, long pieces called coils. The coil is then laid upon itself in circular motions to form the circular shape of a pot. Once the general shape is acquired the coil is pressed together and then scraped/sanded to achieve a uniform surface. The pot is then left to dry and afterward sanded once more to create a smooth surface. The general pot, now called a Villa Ahumada Polychrome, is now complete and now moves on to be painted. It’s coated in a mixture of graphite and kerosene and then rubbed on by a stone. This gives the pot its foundational layer for painting and makes the surface shiny. The artist then hand paints their desired design and once done, the pottery is set over a flame and then washed. Modern artists now use brushes composed of human hair and the etched designs in the pottery are made from common nails.
The burned pottery sits on the stove but is forever stained with graphIte and kerosene
The Villa Ahumada Polychrome effigy jar originated around the pre-Columbian era, notably between the 13th and 14 centuries, in the city of Paquimé, later known as Casas Grandes. It was generally made by the Mogollon culture and as their influence was vast across the north of modern-day Chihuahua, Mexico, the object was created across pockets of tribes near Casas Grandes. Villa Ahumada Polychrome ceramics had a wide range of influence, and their use was adopted by many settlements. Their designs generally consisted of humanoid or animalistic figures, or sometimes even bowl/pot shapes with a wide variety of painted caricatures and designs. Casas Grandes was a central hub of trade early on in its lifespan connecting the people in modern-day Mexico to modern-day Arizona and New Mexico. The Chaco Canyon drought of 1150 helped bring tribes closer to the Casas Grandes ecosystem bolstering its commercial and cultural power. In 1250 the population of the Hohokam settlement in southern Arizona began to steadily increase. Simultaneously, major construction in Casas Grandes brought extensive infrastructure development ranging from a new sewer system to recreational facilities such as ballcourts. These developments helped reaffirm Casas Grandes as an essential cultural and political power in the region and cement its status for decades to come.
The intermingling of different groups and ideas helped push for the creation of Villa Ahumada Polychrome ceramics. Their uses ranged from use in burials to ceremonies and rituals and even towards identifying cultural boundaries. Additionally, there is some evidence, though not concrete enough, that points to the effigies being used to warm food or other materials. Mainly, it was used in trade between regions and was a form of cultural expression. This specific effigy jar was likely used for spiritual reasons as well as general creative output by the unknown artist as indicated by the complex designs and shape of the object.
Visualization of Casas Grandes
REcent Photo of the Site
The effigy sits atop a circular metal pan, imprisoned by a glass counter. Adjacent, the glass railing runs behind the display, wrapping around the second floor and encasing multitudes of exhibits that describe life almost a thousand years prior. Below lies a re-creation of a pueblo dwelling dig-site and various other pieces of art. Every inch of the walls and tables is dotted with unique artifacts, drawings, and replicas. Above the glass tomb that surrounds the little doll, a plaque reads, “Villa Ahumada Polychrome Effigy Jar.” Various other signs describe the ancient culture and locality responsible for such art. The history behind Casas Grandes is explored, and there’s explicit mention of its economic prowess and the other artifacts used for trade. Sporadically placed studio lights illuminate the plaques and the other surrounding exhibits. The bright lights draw attention to the individual and unique displays; behind those artifact-filled, glass panes sits an entire culture now extinct, but not forgotten. Tiny lights dot the ceiling above in seemingly random patterns, but only a few illuminate the glass prison and its contents inside. The floor is layered in dull-brown sand with each sharp grain reflecting the luminescence shining down from above. To the right of the imprisoned effigy jar, there are 4 colorful and wonderfully decorated bowls sprawled in a semi-circle. In its middle, there is a ceramic man laying on his back, with his stomach replaced by the traditional shape and size of a bowl. On its left, there’s a looming stucco cubical brick with a large circular shape in the middle with a deeper circular groove in the middle. Atop sits another ceramic bowl dancing with vibrant colors overlooking the various other Mata Ortiz pottery below. The spacious environment motivates one to move about the adjoining displays and read the tales behind each listed civilization, their tools, and their lives.
Curator Kari Schleher is responsible for such a compelling exhibit and exceptionally transcendent ambiance. The pinnacle reason behind their unique displays is to express the history of the objects. Because this jar lays close to the floor, it almost encourages you to lean over, bend down, or exert some physical effort to gain a closer look and in turn, a deeper understanding. The possible intention is perhaps things aren’t always what they seem. From face value, one wouldn’t suspect anything amiss about the effigy jar beyond what’s written on the sign above, but taking a closer look reveals the posterior cranium entirely missing. There’s an untold story behind this object and many others like it, and that curiosity drives the act of gaining the knowledge behind their existence. The meaning behind some things is often hidden, and the curator reinforces the fact that in some circumstances, actively attempting to gain a better understanding rather than simply accepting something as it is presented can be paramount to individual comprehension. The aim is to let all visitors garner a look at these creative objects and learn the story behind their creation and their creators.
The almost cynical, devilish, and humanoid appearance of this creature piques your interest. The lines below the eyes giving the almost weeping look draws your attention and immediately hooks you, and encourages you to read behind the history of this object. However, placing the object towards the ground is unnecessary and could’ve been placed on an elevated surface. Even more so, an appealing, perhaps even mysterious, feature of the effigy jar is the missing posterior skull. In its current arrangement, it’s hard to view the back of the ceramic, and would’ve been better off elsewhere. Overall, most people would find enjoyment/interest in this Villa Ahumada Polychrome effigy jar, but those interested in anthropology would find the most satisfaction. There is no general knowledge barrier stopping anyone from learning about this and the various plaques do a good job of explaining the culture and civilization behind it, but perhaps could’ve explained the use of this particular object in greater detail. I would recommend viewing this object only as supplementary material to gain a foothold on understanding Casas Grandes history in general. In its current state and lackluster description, there isn’t much to see on its own, but depending on your perspective, that’s fine. This singular, foot-tall piece of ceramic cannot summarize the rest of its culture, but with a proper description, could at least allude to the type of civilization they were. Even to those with an anthropological background, this particular effigy jar isn’t that appealing on its own, but it could be used to gain an understanding of the culture as a whole. Overall, the exhibit is average and could use some work, and the object itself is a little underwhelming, but I think its main purpose is to be used to understand this culture piecemeal and really anyone could garner some connection with it.
The viewing experience could be drastically improved by placing the Villa Ahumada Polychrome effigy jar atop the glass counter it currently sits in. Even more so, putting it on a slowly rotating dial would enrich the object’s overall appearance as well. Seeing the drawings and different contours without having to bend down would be an exponentially better display. Additionally, to fill the newly missing space inside the glass counter would then other Mata Ortiz pottery would be systematically arranged inside. This would provide enhanced visuals for the general context of the Casas Grandes civilization by showing their other ceramic works but would also highlight this unique effigy jar. To complete the display, a revised plaque would have to be added that details the history of this specific object and the other ceramic bowls to be displayed under it. The new sign would include its uses, purposes, and answers as to why this culture made it. Such an information card could be “This Villa Ahumada Polychrome effigy jar (also known as Mata Ortiz pottery) stands as a marker of the Casas Grandes civilization and its vast influence across modern-day northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico. Evidence largely points to its use in warming food and other materials, but primarily was used for trade and spiritual expression.”
Although the staple display will be the effigy jar, viewers should be able to take away a basic understanding of this culture and the various ceramic mediums they used to express and convey their artistic excellence. They should feel as though they have a connection to this object and hopefully are inspired to do further research about Casas Grandes and/or Mogollon culture. Any person from any background should be able to freely explore the culture and the improved accessibility and informativeness would encourage anyone to inspect the history behind such an impressive culture.
BEFORE
PROPOSED
I now consider my object as a small component of viewing the Casas Grandes culture instead of originally focusing only on it specifically. Putting into context all the other Mata Ortiz pottery has helped me understand their culture more than had I used just the object itself. I think it’s especially unique that it resembles a humanoid figure and I feel as though that makes it special compared to the other ceramics. It definitely makes me value this object higher as a result and its exceptional design has constantly intrigued me. The thing that surprised me the most was the different uses of this object. Even more so, I thought it was interesting how Casas Grandes was a cultural, economical, and political hub of northwestern Mexico for so long. I keep wondering, however, why they chose to make some of their effigy jars as humanoid figures and not as something else. I couldn’t find much behind the reason why other than probable spiritual reasons, but I couldn’t find a definitive answer as to why humanoid specifically. My perception of ancient art has definitely expanded. Though I knew artistic expression was a big part of their culture beforehand, I didn’t really pay much attention to its significance outside of that; once I realized these objects also represented economical power it put things into perspective. Additionally, my research skills for acquiring and sifting through scholarly articles have improved as well. Learning the library database helped me a lot in my honors class with a similar assignment.
I liked that each section was segmented between weeks so it was easier to do. Additionally, I liked how there was self-accountability and you technically didn’t have to do something the week it was assigned and could do it later. The most difficult part for me was trying to find the right balance between being too descriptive of something and too conceptual or personal.
I discovered I like to make a very rough outline of an assignment and then adjust it later. Also, my work ethic is absolutely horrendous but through caffeine, I make it work.
In the future, my approach towards longer projects definitely would depend on the workload of other classes. Due to the inherent nature of this technically being graded at the end it made it easier to put it off for later. However, in the future, I think I should work on it gradually instead of in batches. Also, in the future, I should try to read the entire assignment to get a general idea of what is expected, instead of only relying on the weekly assignments so I can fit my final project into the rubric easier.
Works Cited
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Mogollon culture". Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Mar. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mogollon-culture.
Kachina House, director. Mata Ortiz Pottery By Paty & Fernando Rodriguez. YouTube, 7 Dec. 2017, youtu.be/d3y4a3sdVqQ.
“Mata Ortiz Native American Pottery - Casa Grandes: Kachina House.” Mata Ortiz Native American Pottery - Casa Grandes | Kachina House, www.kachinahouse.com/casas-grandes-paquime-renaissance-pottery-from-mata-ortiz.
“North America, 1000–1400 A.D.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=07®ion=na (October 2001)
“Prehistoric Casas Grandes Pottery Jar, #860.” CulturalPatina, www.culturalpatina.com/products/prehistoric-casas-grandes-pottery-jar-860.
Simpson, Jessica. “Exploring Ceramic Vessel Use at Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico, Through Use-Alteration Analyses .” Brigham Young University, BYU ScholarsArchive, 2018, pp. 1–220.
Wiener, James Blake. “Casas Grandes.” World History Encyclopedia, 3 Sept. 2008, www.worldhistory.org/Casas_Grandes/.
Wilson, Dean. “Culture Name: Ancestral Pueblo: Greater Mogollon.” Southwest Ceramic Typology | Culture, The Center for New Mexico Archaeology, 2012, https://ceramics.nmarchaeology.org/typology/culture?p=3.
Wilson, Dean. “Type Name: Villa Ahumada Polychrome.” Southwest Ceramic Typology | Type, The Center for New Mexico Archaeology, 2014, https://ceramics.nmarchaeology.org/typology/type?p=327.