West Mexico

A distinctive shaft tomb burial tradition developed in Western Mexico in the present-day states of Jalisco, Nayarit, and extended into Colima. Dating from 300 BCE to 400 CE, ceramic figures, tableaus (groups of figures engaged in everyday activities and house models), vessels along with obsidian and shell jewelry and household implements were buried with the dead. The ceramic figures provide a unique window into the cultures of West Mexico, a region that developed independently from the influences of the Olmec and later groups.

The figures depict individuals engaged in activities and include ball players, musicians, warriors, shaman, and even bound captives. There are also ceramic figures of individuals with pathological conditions, such as tuberculosis and skin diseases, as well as victims of famine. All of these were factors in cultural decline and collapse.

Jalisco Warrior and Captive 

200 BC-AD 500

William P. Palmer III Collection

A warrior holding a captive by their hair and brandishing a club is commonly depicted in Mesoamerican art.

Jalisco Famine Victim

20 BC-AD 500

William P. Palmer III Collection

Colima Seated Figure with Spinal Deformation

200 BC-AD 500

William P. Palmer III Collection

Obsidian Spear Points

William P. Palmer III Collection

Obsidian Knives

William P. Palmer Collection

Mace Head

William P. Palmer III Collection

Colima Figure with Spinal Deformation

200 BC-AD 500

William P. Palmer III Collection

Note the walking stick.

Colima Figure with Ascites

200 BC-AD 500

William P. Palmer III Collection

The figure seems to have a build-up o fluid in the abdominal cavity, perhaps the result of liver failure, heart failure or cancer.

Nayarit Figures with Sores

200 BC-AD 500

William P. Palmer III Collection

These individuals may be suffering from a form of treponematoses. Figures with skin lesions are among figures places in tombs.