ChupÃcuaro
The Chupícuaro culture is named after the town in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato. Some researchers, however, found objects from other highland regions of Mexico this culture are assigned.
Location
The small town Chupícuaro located about 160 km ( straight line ) northwest of Mexico City and about twelve miles east of the city Acámbaro ride in the south of the state of Guanajuato in an altitude of about 1850 m above sea level. inst.
Living conditions
Are about the living conditions and the social structure of the people of the Chupícuaro culture - given the lack of written sources - some reliable findings before. However, one can assume that it has acted to rural small companies that operated in the valley of the Río Lerma agriculture and corn, beans, chili, etc. cultured and their protein needs supplemented by hunting and fishing. Stone Temple or even houses were unknown and they lived in fortified by wooden poles reed huts.
Dating
Regarding the dating of the finds is not clear. While some researchers prefer older datings, most archaeologists currently assume that the figurines are to be classified in the period between 600 BC and 250 AD, with a portion of archaeological research (or the art market ) three phases believes to have recognized: an older monochrome phase (ca. 600-400 BC), a mean geometric polychrome (ca. 400-100 BC) and a late phase (ca. 100 BC to ca. 250 AD), the most unpainted and unpolished small figurines to have incurred. In the period after AD 250 no grave goods made of clay were more prepared - whether still continue grave goods were mitbestattet ( eg in the form of wooden objects, shells, etc.) is unknown.
Grave goods
All previously discovered artefacts have been specially made as grave goods, and - found in the aboveground imperceptible graves around Chupícuaro - usually by illegal excavations since the 1940s; they were sold on the black market and ended up in private collections, from where they gradually find their way into the museums about the art market or through donations. Due to their rather simple style also modern forgeries are possible. In addition to the vessels and figurines also knives and scrapers made of obsidian, miniature grinding stones ( metates ) and jewelery made of beads, shells, etc. in the graves have been found.
So far, about 400 individual graves were examined, in which sometimes dog skeletons were found, suggesting the - also known in the Indian cultures of the Americas - could point function of the dog as a faithful companion of man; but dogs were also consumed in America and so it could have been at the mitbestatteten quadrupeds also a symbolically meant a food reserve for the world beyond.
Finds
After purely formal criteria, three types can be distinguished: vessels, medium-sized (height 20-50 cm) fully plastic, hollow on the inside and small figures (height 5-15 cm) modeled figurine with applied faces; between the vessels and the round fully three-dimensional figures, there are also mixed forms. The first two types have in common is the smoothly polished and commonly provided with a geometric painting surface, the former - like any form of (body) Jewelry - certainly had a disastrous defensive ( apotropaic ) importance. The faces of the third type are like glued - a body and / or face painting is missing, instead bear the figures necklaces, earrings, elaborate hair styles and turban -like headgear. Also striking is the lack or often very rudimentary representation of the limbs. Most of the figures are obviously female. Whether this allows conclusions to a socially prominent role of women, however, is questionable. Some of the female figurines are - but without giving reasons - also referred to as goddesses.
Although hunting and fishing as well as pets (dogs, turkeys ) probably played an important role in the diet of the people, no representations of wild or domestic animals are known.