Reimagining social expressions through adornments in Teotihuacan figurines
Description
Figurines at Teotihuacan are the most frequent representative of the human figure but have only received assessment by few scholars. Figurines can be assessed in various ways including iconographically, stylistically, or through geochemical assessments like neutron activation analysis. This study uses a comparative iconographic analysis between Teotihuacan figurines and Teotihuacan murals to assess how ideology is conveyed by attributes such as headdresses and clothing. Additionally, exchange of figurines and ideology conveyed by figurines is examined by through neutron activation analysis. Teotihuacan figurines hold crucial information on the social, religious, and political ideology of people of all classes and individuals less frequently represented in the archaeological record, women and non-elites. In this study I found that iconography in both Teotihuacan figurines and murals are highly standardized, specifically when depicting state religious or political personages. Additionally, there is clear intentionally to maintain this standardization in production technique (molds) but does not seem to be only the result of a need for large quantities of craft items for a high population. There seems to be clear intentionally on maintaining continuity in portraying the human figure in Teotihuacan figurines in both iconography and form.