essay

Chalcatzingo's formative figurines

ancient chalcatzingoAustinPublished In 1987 • Pages: 252-263

By: Harlan, Mark.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Harlan provides a typology of Formative period ceramic figurines from the Olmec-influenced highland site of Chalcatzingo. Nearly all are found to be stylistically related Tlatilco and other contemporary highland sites. Although also of a distinctively highland style, Middle Formative period Type C8 figurines exhibit unique, repetitive traits analogous to the portrayal of specific rulers in the monumental stone heads of the Olmec core area and share features with figurines from the Gulf Coast center of Tres Zapotes. A very few Early Formative period Amate phase specimens (Type C9) exhibit unmistakable Olmec 'baby-face' characteristics. The work concludes with a lengthy discussion about the contexts of figurines as related to emerging social stratification in the highlands.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Visual arts
Ceramic technology
Acculturation and culture contact
Comparative evidence
Mnemonic devices
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Olmec
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2000
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Central Mexico
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Leon G. Doyon ; 2006
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1972-1976
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
3500 BP-1850 BP
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Chalcatzingo, Morelos State, Mexico
NotesAdditional notes
Mark Harlan
figurines, ceramic, as portraiture - use 'MNEMONIC DEVICES (211)' and 'CERAMIC TECHNOLOGY (323)' and 'VISUAL ARTS (5311)'
For bibliographical references see Grove: 1987 (Document 3)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
85022673
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Olmecs