Colima

Colima was a pre-Columbian culture that flourished in western Mexico from roughly 300 BCE to 400 CE. Part of the broader Western Mexico shaft tomb tradition, Colima artists produced some of the most naturalistic ceramic sculpture in all of Mesoamerica. Their hollow figures, finished in warm reddish-brown slip, depict everyday life with striking directness: warriors, acrobats, musicians, dancers, and people going about daily tasks.

The culture is especially famous for its ceramic dog effigies. Found in 75 to 90 percent of shaft tombs, these plump, hairless dogs were believed to guide souls through the afterlife. Unlike many Mesoamerican traditions that focused on religious iconography, Colima potters preferred secular subjects. Our collection includes 9 works from this tradition at the Art Institute of Chicago.