Female Ritual Performer

South-central Veracruz was home to a number of vibrant sculptural traditions. Among them is the so-called Nopiloa style, named for the archaeological site of Nopiloa located in the Mixtequilla area of southern Veracruz. Hundreds, if not thousands, of these striking figures were produced during the Late Classic Period, ranging from small figures to large-scale sculptures, most of which were made in press molds with some hand-modeling for adding accouterments of dress. The figures may depict ritual performers or intended sacrificial victims in the midst of a trance induced by the ingestion of mind-altering substances such as hallucinogenic plants, animal poisons, or alcohol. It has been suggested that these figures represent the Classic Period antecedents of the ritual practices of induced joviality and ecstatic dance in honor of the Postclassic deity Xochipilli-Macuilzochitl. These Nopiloa figures typically are portrayed with upraised head and arms held at the side of the head. Usually the right hand clutches an object that eludes identification although it has been variously suggested to be a rattle, a potent native tobacco cigar, or a hallucinogenic plant material.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Economos Works of Art [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John G. Bourne, 1990s, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 2009, by gift.