![]() Therefore, the people of ancient Mexico consumed a heavily plant-based diet, consisting mainly of corn, squash, and beans. In the ancient Americas, pack animals like cows, pigs, and sheep did not exist in the region. The Colima Dogs help us understand that story.Īs you scroll through the above images of Colima Dogs in the Museums collection, what are some of the features that stand out to you? You may notice that the dogs are all a little chubby. The dogs of Mesoamerica had a complex relationship with humans and were often seen as equals that served important roles and functions in everyday life. This idea of hierarchy is rooted in western culture and does not examine animals in dynamic terms. Living in westernized culture, we often perceive our relationship with animals as a distinct divide a hierarchy with people at the top and other animals at the bottom. Others have been depicted dancing with each other, smiling, eating human food, laughing, wearing masks, and doing other human activities. Some are depicted as having wrinkles, indicating these dogs likely did not have any fur. While the dog on display in the Visible Vault is depicted sitting (like a good puppy), these dogs have different iterations. These dog figurines help us understand the story of a complex relationship between humans and animals in the early Americas. While some ancient cultures are studied by interpreting ancient texts or art, archaeological interpretations of ceramic figurines found in shaft tombs are crucial to our understanding of the early Americas. They usually have short, squat, round bodies with perky ears and are covered in red slip, a mixture of water and fine clay used to intensify the natural red coloration of ceramics. Similar ceramic figurines depicting dogs can be found in ancient shaft tombs all throughout Mesoamerica, most notably in the western Mexican state of Colima. The figurine that can be seen in the Visible Vault is called a Colima Dog, and it is not the only one. This bright red ceramic figurine stands at about 9.5 inches tall and has a stout, pudgy appearance that makes you want to give it a hug. If you enter the Visible Vault of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, you may notice a little clay dog that someone handcrafted about 2,000 years ago. Though there are no bumper stickers showing proud breed owners or Instagram photos of ancient American dogs, we have the next best thing archaeological evidence. Dogs are one of the first animals ever to be domesticated by humans, and they've been beloved worldwide ever since, especially here in the Americas. In fact, I think most people have agreed with that sentiment for thousands of years. I believe you because I feel the exact same way. ![]() ![]() The jaguar head has a serpent emerging from its forehead, both very powerful animals that have strong symbolic and mythological meaning to ancient Mexicans, like the Aztecs, the Maya, and the Olmec.Out of every single dog on the planet, yours is the best, isn't it? I guess we have cases of gods emerging from other deities' foreheads in ancient western civilization but a snake emerging from a jaguar's head is a pretty exotic twist on that old myth, you must agree! Can you tell us anything else about the artifact? I like the way the piece is so well preserved and how the symbolism is both provocative and still a bit enigmatic. Perhaps not so different from today! 
 Why is this your favorite artifact? So it gives us an idea about how religion and competitive sporting events blended together in the past. The ball game was part of a central myth commemorating the origin of the world, a competition between humans and the gods, that was reenacted as a kind of public performance and sporting event on a regular basis in the center of ancient Mesoamerican cities like Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan. It's part of an ancient ritual that has both religious and everyday meaning. Many such objects are found in Museums in Mexico and around the world (like the Gordon Grosscup Museum of Anthropology at Wayne State) and represent indigenous American ideas about religion, politics, and sports. It's from Veracruz, Mexico and is about 1200 years old (A.D. The stone version, like the one illustrated, would be placed in a player's grave. A balsa (light wood) version of this piece would be inserted in a padded belt and worn behind, as a decorative part of the player's uniform. A hacha (axe) is a part of the ceremonial gear for players of El Juego de Pelota ( The Ball Game, also known as the "game of life and death," you know, the one where the losers are decapitated). What is the artifact?Ī Mesoamerican ball game hacha. ![]() He tells about his favorite artifact in the Gordon Grosscup Museum of Anthropology. Tom Killion is an associate professor in the anthropology department.
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