Ixtlán del Río-Style House Model with Figures Feasting

Ixtlán del Río-Style House Model with Figures Feasting

100–1 BCE
Culture
Nayarit
Locale
Nayarit
Country
Mexico
Style/Tradition
Ixtlán del Río
Object
house, model
Medium
Slip-painted ceramic
Accession Number
1965.198
Credit Line
Museum Purchase

Unknown artist, Nayarit region, Western Mexico. Ixtlán del Río-Style House Model with Figures Feasting, 100–1 BCE. Slip-painted ceramic, 10 ½ x 7  ½ x 5 ¾ inches. Museum purchase, 1965.198.

Dimensions
height: 10.5 in, 26.6700 cm; width: 7.5 in, 19.0500 cm; depth: 5.75 in, 14.6050 cm
Department
Mayer Center, Arts of the Ancient Americas
Collection
Arts of the Ancient Americas
This object is currently on view

House Model with Figures
Nayarit, Ixtlan del Rio style
About 100 B.C.–A.D. 200
Mexico, Nayarit
Earthenware with colored slips
Museum purchase, 1965.198

Numerous individuals appear inside and outside this two-level house with a tall thatched roof and painted walls.  Casually posed, they appear to relax, converse, and share food and drink.  Some scholars interpret such scenes as mundane depictions of daily life, while others believe that the lower level of the house portrays the underworld, with deceased family members continuing their activities below the living quarters of their descendants.