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Oxtotitlán

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An artist's rendition of Mural 1, showing a ruler wearing what has
been identified as an owl costume, seated on a throne. 
An artist's rendition of Mural 1, showing a ruler wearing what has
been identified as an owl costume, seated on a throne.
Oxtotitlán in relation to the major Formative Era sites showing Olmec
influences in the archaeological record. 
Oxtotitlán in relation to the major Formative Era sites showing Olmec
influences in the archaeological record.
A plan of the Oxtotitlán grottos, showing the locations of the various
paintings. The yellow lines represent the grotto entrances, while the
brown lines show grotto walls. 
A plan of the Oxtotitlán grottos, showing the locations of the various
paintings. The yellow lines represent the grotto entrances, while the
brown lines show grotto walls.
An artist's rendition of painting 1-D, showing the outline of a ruler
and rearing jaguar. 
An artist's rendition of painting 1-D, showing the outline of a ruler
and rearing jaguar.

Oxtotitlán is the name of a natural rock shelter and archaeological
site in the Mexican state of Guerrero that contains murals linked to
the Olmec motifs and iconography. Along with the nearby Juxtlahuaca
cave, the Oxtotitlán rock paintings represent the "earliest
sophisticated painted art known in Mesoamerica".^[1] Unlike
Juxtlahuaca, however, the Oxtotitlán paintings are not deep in a cave
system but rather occupy two shallow grottos on a cliff face.

The paintings have been variously dated to perhaps 900 BCE^[2] or 800
to 500 BCE.^[3] It is not known what group or society painted them. It
is also not known how Olmec-influenced art came to be painted hundreds
of kilometres (or miles) from the Olmec heartland, although caves are
prominent on many Olmec-style monuments, including La Venta Altars 4
and 5.

Contents

* 1 Distribution
* 2 Description
* 3 Preservation and visitation
* 4 Notes
* 5 References
* 6 External links

[edit] Distribution

The paintings are distributed in three areas with a separate type of
painting assigned to each area. The north grotto paintings are
smaller, were created using black pigment, and feature animals,
humans, and fantastic creatures. The south grotto paintings, by
contrast, are in red and generally feature geometric designs. Between
the north and south grottos are two large polychrome murals.

[edit] Description

Mural 1^[4] is situated above the mouth to the south grotto, and
portrays what is most likely a ruler seated upon a throne similar to
La Venta's Altar 4 or 5. The eyes of a primal cave monster, showing
Olmec iconic crossed-bars, can be seen on the top edge of the throne
(note that the ruler is also wearing a crossed-bars pectoral, perhaps
linking him directly with the monster).

The ruler, painted in vibrant reds, greens, and browns, is wearing a
bird mask, generally identified as that of an owl,^[5] as well as a
green-feathered costume. Seated on the throne, his left leg is tucked
underneath him while the right dangles down, similar to a pose found
on the fragmentary Laguna de los Cerros Monument 9.

At 3 metres by 2 metres, Mural 2 is even larger than Mural 1 but this
exposed painting has been largely worn away over the intervening
millennia and is now almost impossible to recognize.^[6] It seems to
picture a human in jaguar clothing or otherwise associated with a
jaguar.

Also of particular note is the north grotto's "most striking
creation",^[7] Painting 1-D, which features an ithyphallic man
standing behind what appears to be a rearing jaguar. The man is
painted in black outline, with a headress. His exaggerated genitals
that point to the jaguar have led to speculation that this is a scene
of a man copulating with a jaguar.^[8]

[edit] Preservation and visitation

In the 30 years following its re-discovery, the site was the object of
graffiti and poor maintenance. This was addressed in the 2002 by the
restoration work of Sandra Cruz, under the auspices of the National
Coordination of Conservation of the Cultural Patrimony,
INAH-Churubusco.

Although the paintings can still be viewed, visitors must first
register with the local caretakers in the nearby village of Acatlán.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Grove (2000).
2. ^ Kubler.
3. ^ Grove (2007).
4. ^ Also variously identified as Painting C-1 and M-1.
5. ^ Kubler, p. 134 or Diehl, p. 171.
6. ^ Grove (2007).
7. ^ Diehl, p. 171.
8. ^ For example, Diehl, p. 172, who states this is a "serious
possibility".

[edit] References

* Coe, M.D. (2002); Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs London:
Thames and Hudson.
* Diehl, Richard A. (2004) The Olmecs: America's First Civilization,
Thames & Hudson, London.
* Grove, David C. (2000) "Caves of Guerrero (Guerrero, Mexico)", in
Archaeology of Ancient Mexico & Central America: an Encyclopedia,
ed. Evans, Susan; Thames and Hudson, London.
* Grove, David (2007) "The Middle Preclassic Period Paintings of
Oxtotitlan, Guerrero", FAMSI Foundation for the Advancement of
Mesoamerican Studies Inc., accessed April 2007.
* Kubler, George (1990) The Art and Architecture of Ancient America,
Yale University Press.

[edit] External links

* Drawing of Mural 1.

Coordinates: 17°47'N, 98°57'W
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxtotitl%C3%A1n"
Categories: Cave sites in Mesoamerican archaeology | Olmec sites