Zapotec culture; Mexico
Ceramic; 14 1/2 x 10 in.
2000.56.7
The Dr. Eli B. and Aimee Cohen Memorial Collection
Gracing billboards and posters around the city of Beijing is the image of one of the Bowers Museum’s Zapotec ceramic urns. Included in the Beijing World Art Museum’s current exhibition "The Great Civilizations" the urn is one of 45 Pre-Columbian objects on loan to the Beijing museum. The Bowers Museum is honored to participate with fourteen institutions from Italy and the United States in the exhibition and even more pleased to contribute the only objects that originate from the Americas. The exhibition will run through the summer Olympic Games of 2008 guaranteeing that the exhibition will be enjoyed by many – stop by if you can.
The Zapotec maker of this object never imagined that its image would be plastered around one of the most bustling cities in the world especially since this object was made to be interred in a tomb, grave or possibly in or at the base of a monument. It is not possible to see by this photograph that the urn is actually a vessel. At the back side of the sitting figure is an attached cylindrical vase that originally would have extended to the height of the figure’s head (this particular object has lost more than half of this cylinder). Although named and referred to as an urn it is important to note that these types of highly decorated vessels have never been found to hold human remains. Instead bits of jade, snail shells, obsidian and occasionally the small bones of birds have sometimes been found inside and/or near the vessels. Almost all figures on urns are human in form and represent Zapotec gods or humans dressed in elaborate costume and headdress to mimic the appearance of the gods. Usually the figure is in sitting position with hands on knees but other variations of postures, hand positions, overall size and proportions exist. Because the Zapotecs used molds to create the urns it is not uncommon to find exact duplicates at excavation sites. The figure pictured here is highly ornamented in a headdress (part of which is missing), round bead necklace, ear spools and a mask over his nose and face. Draped around his shoulders is a decorative band (perhaps a textile), and a triangular loin cloth falls over his crossed legs. In his hands he holds the rope handle of a bag of incense. A double bar design seen just under the hands is similar (although not exact) to one on headdress above the forehead. Both of these symbols, among others found throughout the headdress represent glyphs or writing that most likely represent or relate to Zapotec calendar dates and names. The existence of a writing system, an elaborate calendar and a complex religion plus the development of the major city of Monte Albán and the controlled empire that occupied much of the present day state of Oaxaca attest to the achievements and advancements of the Zapotec culture. The abundance of technically and aesthetically fine art objects produced by the Zapotecs confirms their sophistication and inspires appreciation. All text and images under copyright. Please contact Collection Department for permission to use. Information subject to change with additional research.