Proportions and Stylization

The proportions used by Pre-Columbian people in their sculptures were very strange. In fact, they used to make statues which had a big head and a little body. They could represent human figures or hybrids between people and animals. These statues were usually built with jade or other stones which could be found easily in Central America and they symbolized the extreme both divine and human power. So both gods and rulers could be represented with these features, because rulers were loved like gods too. This veneration for the rulers became a true worship thanks to the arrival of  Mayans, thanks to whom the political institutions. The majority of these statues were found in La Venta and Teotihuacan. Masks generally followed the same standard model. The face was in the form of an inverted triangle with a wide nose, prominent cheekbones and thick lips. The ears were represented by rectangular protuberances and were pierced for earrings.

Temples instead had a pyramidal form and they distinguished themselves because of traits such as the talud – tablero (a platform situated on the top of a sloping panel), the proportions of different parts of the buildings and the decorations consisting of circles known as chalchihuites, symbol of wealth and prosperity. They were called chalchihuites because this was the name of a ceremonial centre in Teotihuacan which was located between Zacatecas and Durango, in the North – Western Mexico. It had a number of important features such as the petroglyphs, a processional walkway and the Hall of Columns. According to numerous studious, such as Gamio, Chalchihuites was a transition phase between Olmecs and the ethnic groups who populated Central America later.            



chachihuiltes



talud – tablero



Angelo Viglioglia