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Dancer figure with Crocodile Mask
clay with pigments
Colima culture
circa 300 BCE to 300 CE
Mexico

#colima #tomb #shaftburial #funeral #handmade #pottery #clay #handmade #ancientart #art #sculpture #religion #ritual #belief #precolumbian #prehispanic #mesoamerica #mexico #dancerfigure #crocodile
This is a Colima dancer figurine with a removable crocodile helmet, a ceramic artifact originating from West Mexico's Colima culture, created between approximately 300 BC and 300 AD. The figure depicts a dancer wearing an intricate, detachable headdress fashioned to resemble a crocodile. Such pieces likely held ceremonial significance, possibly representing deity impersonators in rituals honoring nature or mythological creatures. The style is characteristic of the shaft tomb tradition found in the Colima region. This figure is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
April 29, 2026 at 4:30 PM