Lot 43
MEZCALA FIGURE
GUERRERO, MEXICO, LATE PRECLASSIC, C. 300 – 100 B.C.
Auction: 28 May 2026 from 13:00 BST
Description
carved calcite, the abstracted figure with broad torso, arms folded into the waist, the head with recessed horizontals planes indicating the eyes and mouth
Dimensions
35.7cm tall
Provenance
Cruz Collection, Cedar city, Utah, acquired mid-20th century, thence by descent
Private collection, United Kingdom, acquired 2023
Footnote
The present piece originates from the Mezcala culture of the mountainous region of Guerrero in present-day Mexico. Active between 300 - 100 BC, this culture is celebrated for its abundant stone carvings, encompassing stylised human figures, animal effigies and small-scale architectural forms. Despite the survival of these works, little is known about the civilisation itself, aside from its practice of burying the deceased with such enigmatic and highly abstract stone sculptures.