Cloth & Clay
Communicating Culture 

The ancient people of the West Mexican states of Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima occupied a region of great cultural diversity on Mexico's Pacific Coast. Sadly, the Pre-Spanish people of the area are not known by name, but some believe that the modern Huichol, who live in the mountains of northern Nayarit and Jalisco, are among their descendants.

Although a number of habitation sites have been excavated in Nayarit, information on the contents of the area's distinctive shaft tombs is derived almost entirely from artifacts that were not scientifically exhumed. A generally similar style of ceramic figures existed throughout the area. Typically, they were made in naturalistic poses portraying a wide range of daily activities from all societal classes, with subjects that besides animals and plants, included single human beings and couples engaged in daily activities, as well as acrobats, dancers, religious practitioners, ballplayers, and warriors.