Nayarit, Mexico
Nayarit Culture

Polychrome, terracotta
 ca.  250 BCE to 250 CE
Height: 3 inches
Aerophones – Wind Instruments Proper – Edge Blown Flutes

A distinct artistic style polychrome ocarina from the Nayarit culture in western Mexico, located between the forested mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Pacific Ocean. From 250 BCE to 250 CE, people on the west coast of Mexico developed a thriving culture but left no written language.   Thus, all that is known about them comes from their ceramic art.  It can be assumed that objects of people (anthropomorphic) and animal (zoomorphic) figures played an important role in oral folklore or mythology.  This 2-note ocarina is in the shape of a standing man and is polychrome painted.

The ocarina is a ‘vessel flute’ that appears throughout the world but is commonly found throughout the Amerindian cultures in Mexico and Central and South America.  There are many variations, but generally it has a small open space that traps air, with a mouthpiece or opening that enables one to blow into the enclosed space much the same as blowing into a whistle.  Often there are several finger holes for the performer to open or close to change the notes/pitches.