Miniature figurine c. 1500

This figurine was made from clay by the Tlatilco people in the pre-classic period of Mesoamerica. The Tlatilco culture flourished in the Valley of Mexico, and their art offers insights into their beliefs and social structures. These figurines, often found in burial sites, suggest a deep connection to fertility, the afterlife, and the cyclical nature of life. The somewhat crude rendering of the human body, and the emphasis on the figure’s form, may have been less about the aesthetics than about the social function it served. The figurine's presence in the Minneapolis Institute of Art also speaks to the history of collecting and the shifting cultural values that determine what is considered art. To understand this figurine fully, we turn to archaeological reports, ethnographic studies, and critical analyses of Mesoamerican art. Through such research, we can appreciate the figurine not just as an object, but as a window into a complex world.