1200-400 BC
Ceramic, pigment
Overall: 9.6 x 4.2 x 1.8 cm (3 3/4 x 1 5/8 x 11/16 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener 1990.141
Double-headed figurines may reflect the belief that interaction between two basic principles gives rise to the universe.
This ceramic figurine—in the style of Tlatilco, an early village site in central Mexico—depicts a female with two heads and stubby arms. Since many figurines from the period depict females, modern interpreters usually connect them to fertility concerns. Here, however, the physical abnormalities may indicate a relationship with the supernatural realm.
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