Oxtotitlán is a natural
rock shelter
A rock shelter (also rockhouse, crepuscular cave, bluff shelter, or abri) is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff. In contrast to solutional caves (karst), which are often many miles long or wide, rock shelters are alm ...
and
archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...
in
Chilapa de Álvarez,
Mexican state
A Mexican State (), officially the Free and Sovereign State (), is a constituent federative entity of Mexico according to the Constitution of Mexico. Currently there are 31 states, each with its own constitution, government, state governor, a ...
of
Guerrero
Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...
that contains
mural
A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' ...
s linked to the
Olmec
The Olmecs () or Olmec were an early known major Mesoamerican civilization, flourishing in the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco from roughly 1200 to 400 Before the Common Era, BCE during Mesoamerica's Mesoamerican chronolog ...
motifs and
iconography
Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...
. Along with the nearby
Juxtlahuaca cave, the Oxtotitlán rock paintings represent the "earliest sophisticated painted art known in
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...
",
thus far. 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 perhap
900years
BCE.
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 kilometers (or miles) from the
Olmec heartland
The Olmec heartland is the southern portion of Mexico's Gulf Coast of Mexico, Gulf Coast region between the Tuxtla mountains and the Olmec archaeological site of La Venta, extending roughly 80 km (50 mi) inland from the Gulf of Mexico coastline ...
, although caves are prominent on many Olmec-style monuments, including
La Venta Altars 4 and 5.
Description
The Paintings cover an area of about There is restoration work in 10 walls, it is expected to complete scientific investigation and establish the origin of the paints used in the designs.
The best-known samples of Oxtotitlán paintings are those part of the core group. These are two
Polychrome
Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery, or sculpture in multiple colors.
When looking at artworks and ...
murals, one of which represent a sitting character on a mythological Olmec serpent, wearing a mask, according to Grove, could be a representation of an
Owl. The other mural of the central group has been severely damaged by time and the environment, making it difficult to identify. Internal murals are monochrome (black and white), or bi-chromos, combining elements of red and black.
Unlike Juxtlahuaca, it is possible that Oxtotitlán contained a housing area, because ceramic materials have been found in the vicinity of the Quiotepec Hill.
Distribution
The paintings are distributed in three areas with a separate type of painting assigned to each area.
North grotto
The paintings are smaller, were created using black pigment, and feature
animal
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Biology, biological Kingdom (biology), kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, ...
s,
human
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...
s, and
legendary creature
A legendary creature is a type of extraordinary or supernatural being that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), and may be featured in historical accounts before modernity, but has not been scientifically shown to exist.
In t ...
s.
South grotto
The paintings here, by contrast, are in red and generally feature geometric designs.
Central grotto
Between the north and south grottos are two large polychrome murals, over the cave entrance.
The Murals
Mural 1
This Mural 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,
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.
Mural 2
This Mural, at , 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.
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", 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 headdress. His exaggerated genitals that point to the jaguar have led to speculation that this is a scene of a man copulating with a jaguar, but more likely the jaguar is the ruler's spiritual co-essence, later known in Classic Maya culture as a ''
way'' spirit.
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.
[Conaculta 2004]
Although the paintings can still be viewed, visitors must first register with the local caretakers in the nearby village of Acatlán.
See also
*
Juxtlahuaca
*
List of caves in Mexico
*
Maya cave sites
Notes
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"FAMSIFoundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies Inc., accessed April 2007.
* Kubler, George (1990) ''The Art and Architecture of Ancient America'', Yale University Press.
External links
Drawing of Mural 1.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oxtotitlan
Cave sites in Mesoamerican archaeology
Olmec sites
Archaeological sites in Guerrero
Rock shelters
Rock art in South America