Seated warrior c. 250 - 300

This small terracotta sculpture of a seated warrior was made by the Nayarit people of ancient western Mexico. The figure's headgear immediately tells us something about the structure of society. It is a marker of status: only certain members of the community would have been entitled to wear such a thing. We might think about how the figure is posed. He is seated, not standing. What does it mean to take a seat? Consider how the pose might relate to power and authority. This is where institutions come into play. In order to understand the warrior's social role, we need to know how the Nayarit community was organised. Was it a hierarchical society in which warriors enjoyed special privileges? Historians use archaeology, ethnography, and anthropology to better understand the beliefs, practices, and institutions that influenced artists in the past.