Book contents
- Human Figuration and Fragmentation in Preclassic Mesoamerica
- Human Figuration and Fragmentation in Preclassic Mesoamerica
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Preclassic Figuration
- 2 Monumental Sculpture and the Human Form during the Early and Middle Preclassic Periods
- 3 Early and Middle Preclassic Figuration in Clay
- 4 Figurines at Middle Preclassic La Blanca
- 5 Figurines, Fragmentation, and Social Ties
- 6 Changing Discourses of Human Representation in Late Preclassic Mesoamerica
- 7 High Culture and Human Representation in Late Preclassic Mesoamerica
- Epilogue
- Notes
- References
- Index
4 - Figurines at Middle Preclassic La Blanca
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 February 2020
- Human Figuration and Fragmentation in Preclassic Mesoamerica
- Human Figuration and Fragmentation in Preclassic Mesoamerica
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Preclassic Figuration
- 2 Monumental Sculpture and the Human Form during the Early and Middle Preclassic Periods
- 3 Early and Middle Preclassic Figuration in Clay
- 4 Figurines at Middle Preclassic La Blanca
- 5 Figurines, Fragmentation, and Social Ties
- 6 Changing Discourses of Human Representation in Late Preclassic Mesoamerica
- 7 High Culture and Human Representation in Late Preclassic Mesoamerica
- Epilogue
- Notes
- References
- Index
Summary
Chapter 4 surveys ceramic figurines from the Middle Preclassic site of La Blanca, Guatemala, considering questions of gender, identity, absence, costume and adornment, sensory capacity, and the animal–human relationship. It also addresses recurring figurine types and issues of replication, arguing that the “sameness” of certain figurine types is directly related to concepts of personhood. It also suggests that the distinct emphasis on facial features seen in Preclassic figurines demonstrates the earliest evidence for notions of destiny, which, in later Mesoamerican belief systems, were often articulated through the face.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Human Figuration and Fragmentation in Preclassic MesoamericaFrom Figurines to Sculpture, pp. 65 - 86Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020