West Coast Mexico
Colima (Los Ortices Era)

Glazed terracotta
200 BCE to 200 CE.
Length: 4.75 in
Idiophones – Indirectly Struck – Rattles

This handmade pottery rattle has a nearly spherical end in the form of an abstract serpent head with a circular shaped handle for the body.  The head and body are adorned with incised circular motifs with further visage of applied bulging eyes and a gaping mouth, all in the characteristic of the Colima red burnished finish.

Colima, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima, is the fourth smallest state among the 31 states that make up the 32 federated entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima.  During prehistoric times the state was home to several pre-Hispanic cultures as part of Western Mexico.  Archeological evidence dates human occupation of the area as far back as 1500 BCE.  One period of the area’s development is called the Los Ortices era, which began around 500 BCE.   During this time the elements that characterize the pre-Hispanic peoples of Colima included shaft tombs and a distinctive ceramic style called rojo bruñido, or burnished red.

Resource: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colima

COA – Artemis Fine Arts Gallery