Not Aztec, not Mayan, Zapotec sculpture from Oaxaca.

Looking Carefully

Standing Figure with Urn is rather striking in its gray earthenware with red pigment and traces of yellowish-white paint. This piece combines the sculptural quality of the figure with the functionality of the urn which is the back extension of the figure's body. The urn has become secondary to the figure, yet the designer melded one part into another. The facial features have been sculpted with great care. The soft eyebrow ridges curve into the strong nose, and the pupils of the eyes are holes beneath well-defined eyelids. The upper eyelids protrude, creating shadows that bring the eyes to life. The lips stand out softly from the face. The red trails or "tear bands" which cross the eyes usually symbolize the deity Xipe, the flayed god. Altogether, the facial features create a striking, realistic profile.

Moving away from the face, our eyes are drawn to the asymmetrical, deer-shaped headdress. The deer faces to the left, and the right panels of the headdress near the ear of the deer are carved in low-relief. Similar panels may be missing from the other side of the figure's head. Near the shoulders are elaborately carved, orbs with designs that look like complicated woven knots. A tusk-like shape with a simple unadorned round object protrudes from one ear; it's possible one also protruded from the other ear. The remaining arm is simple. The ornament that adorns it has a spiral design drawn into the clay, perhaps representing a shell. The hand looks almost like a slab with slightly rounded fingers and tiny fingernails. The skirt has a plaid-like design created by rough cross-hatched lines in the clay. The pattern of small orbs on the skirt repeat the decoration on the headdress. The feet seem simple and unimportant compared to other aspects of the sculpture. Notice how the entire figure stands to one side of the square base.

The slab shield has the characteristics of a "C glyph" design. This glyph, or nonverbal symbol, is typical of Zapotec art created before 900 AD. Although there are many variations, most incorporate what appears to be a cross section of a vessel with a horizontal water line. Notice the U-shaped center section of this glyph and the wavy horizontal line drawn in the clay. At the bottom of the shape is another horizontal line which curves under at each end. This represents the alliator, the sign for the first day on the Meso-American calendar; it is sometimes spoken of as Mother Earth or Sky Monster. To understand the origin of this symbol, imagine an alligator with only the eyes above water level. The horizontal line with the curved ends represents the two eyes peaking above the water line.

Comparing

The seated figure (above) was created several hundred years before the standing figure, and has a less realistic quality. This urn is a tall cylinder with human features attached, unlike the standing figure in which urn and figure merge, The top of the cylinder is hidden by the headdress. The mask-like face shows the forked tongue characteristic of Cocijo, the rain god. The clay is yellow without any indication of painted decoration, and appears to have a rough texture. The mineral content of clay varies around the Oaxaca Valley, which could account for such differences. The seated urn is a male figure indicated by the hands-on-knees pose. The sophisticated, three-dimensional quality of the standing figure camouflages the fact that the slabs are simple flat surfaces. The slabs of the seated figure are clearly flat. Both urns were used to hold ashes or bone fragments.

The seated urn has a C glyph headdress identifying it as Zapotec. The central enclosed area has a wavy horizontal line as if it contained water. The top of the headdress looks like water coming from the top of the vessel. Just above the shape over the nose is the horizontal line with the curved ends which comprise the alligator motif.

Key Concepts

The Zapotec lived primarily in the area of Mexico known as the Oaxaca Valley. Their culture was at its height from 500 BC to 1000 AD.

* The major archeological site of this group is Monte Alban. Objects found at this site helped establish the stylistic dating system used for objects created by the Zapotec.

* The C glyph, or nonverbal symbol, often seen in Zapotec work before 900 AD, varies from work to work, but often includes an alligator symbol and representation of a full vessel.

* The Zapotec created urns for ritual purposes. These ceramic objects were created using tools made of natural objects such as bamboo and gourds.

Stylistic Information

In discussing Mexican art objects, we hear most about the Mayans or Aztecs, but wonderful contributions in art come from the Olmec, Mixtec, Toltec and Zapotec to name a few. The Zapotec of the Oaxaca Valley (pronounced wah-ha'-ca) were strong as a cultural group from 500 BC to 1000 AD. This time period corresponds with the great days at Teotihuacan near Mexico City and the classic period of the Maya. Evidence that the Zapotec traded with other groups can be found in objects of one culture found at the site of another.

The archaeological ruin of Monte Alban, discovered and excavated in 1931-32 by Alphonso Caso, has come to serve as our main source of information on this culture. The ruin was covered by vegetation and hidden from the Spanish, so much of the site was intact when Caso arrived. The objects of Monte Alban provided information to establish a stylistic dating system for all Zapotec objects. The periods of the system are titled Monte Alban I, II, Transition, IIIa, IIIb and IV. Each period represents an expanse of time and can be characterized by different techniques and aesthetics. A stylistic dating system offers a reliable alternative to such methods as Carbon 14, which requires that a small piece of the object be destroyed. The seated figure has been dated stylistically to the Transition Period. The dramatic vigor of Monte Alban II can still be seen in the mystery of the masked face. The standing figure has been dated to the Monte Alban IlIa period when work became flowery and elaborate. Urns of this time were carved right after drying and just before firing to produce clear-cut planes.

The Zapotec, like other cultural groups of their time, used natural tools to work the clay. Dried gourds were used to hold water to keep clay moist as it was worked. The gourds were also used as a mold. By cutting a triangular shape from a gourd, a scraper was created. This convex scraper was used to smooth the clay. Bamboo-like cane made strong tools. The ends could be angle-cut and rounded or squared off while green and workable. Once the tools dried, they were very tough.

The clay of the area has a high refractory quality due to feldspar and volcanic ash, which means it can endure high temperatures. Different types of clay can be located in different parts of the valley. Often the color of clay was affected by the method of firing (reduction or oxidation). Fuel was limited in the cactus covered Oaxaca Valley, although oak, pine and even cane were used.

Suggested Activities

The following activities may be adapted for both elementary and secondary students.

* Create a ceramic sculpture which is both an urn and a human figure. To show your influence from the Zapotec, incorporate your own version of a C glyph somewhere in the piece.

* Read the 1932 article in National Geographic in which Alphonso Caso described Monte Alban. Faced with the fact that almost nothing had been known about the Zapotec before this point, Caso pieces together legend and fact. Today, Caso's work is revered in the study of this cultural group. Discuss how the article is written to include questions as possible solutions. Have students read Caso's account of opening the treasure Tomb 7. Discuss what might have happened if this tomb had been discovered at another time--1540, 1980 or 2050.

* Locate the Oaxaca Valley on a map of Mexico. Gather information on what life is like there today. What are the natural resources in this area? The arts are still important locally. Have students consider how the arts today have been influenced by the Zapotec culture.

* Using clay, sculpt a face to match closely that of the standing figure. Add a unique headdress experimenting with coils, slabs and decorating techniques.

* Gather green bamboo or sticks in pencil lengths. Using sandpaper to shape the ends, create a variety of tools to use on clay. Cut triangular pieces from gourds, or even plastic bowls, to create scrapers. Use only these handmade tools to create works in clay.

* Create a bulletin-board display of a time line that shows when and where different cultural groups of Mexico existed. Include drawings or copies of artwork or architectural structures from each group. Students may find it interesting to know how late the Aztecs were in the development of Mexico.

* The Zapotec, like the Mayans, played an important ball game. The I-shaped ball court is evident at Monte Alban as well as other archaeological sites. In the Zapotec version of the game, the players tried to get a hard rubber ball into a niche at the end of the ball court to score. Read about the pre-Columbian ball game and recreate a Zapotec version.

* Recreate your own version of the C-glyph design. Be sure to include the central vessel cross section with the water line and the horizontal alligator line.

Resources

Slides of Standing Figure with Urn as well as other work is available for a small fee from the Resource Center at The Saint Louis Art Museum, Forest Park, St. Louis, MO 63110-1380; [phone], ext. 266. Caso, Alphonso. "Monte Alban, Richest

Archeological Find in America."

National Geographic, October, 1932. Emmerich, Andre. Art before Columbus.

New York: Simon and Schuster

Trade, 1983. Hunter, C. Bruce. A Guide to Ancient

Mexican Ruins. Norman, OK:

University of Oklahoma Press, 1977. McIntosh, Jane. The Practical Archaeologist:

How We Know What We Know

About the Past. New York: Facts on

File, Inc., 1988. Paddock, John. Ancient Oaxaca: Discoveries

in Mexican Archeology and

History. Stanford, CA: Stanford

University Press, 1966. Sabloff, Jeremy A. The Cities of Ancient

Mexico: Reconstructing a Lost World.

London: Thames and Hudson, 1990.