Vintage Mexican Art Pottery Clay Maya Seated Male Figurine Statue

Vintage Mexican Art Pottery Clay Maya Seated Male Figurine Statue. Sitting Male Clay Figurine Statue-1 Pc. (there is a companion piece also for sale on my site, see last photo). In wonderful vintage condition drying kiln issue? To right inner leg see photo #7. Figurines have been in storage for over 35 years. The Maya were a smaller race of people with dark skin, dark eyes and straight black hair, but to them what was considered physically beautiful was not the way they were born, but a long sloping forehead and slightly crossed-eyes. It didn't matter what social class you were were in - the Priests and warriors, merchants and artisans, loaders, bricklayers, woodcutters, peasants, and slaves alike all desired this type of beauty.

The Mayas prized a long sloping forehead. It is thought that this is because it resembled an ear of corn - not only the staple of their diets, but they believed that it was from the corn that all humans were created. The corn god himself (Yum Kaax) was depicted with an elongated head with a husk attached to it. To achieve the sleek straight elegant look that the Maya admired, it had to start when their babies were born.

Really you had no say in the look at all. The Maya would bind the newborn infant's head between two boards for several days. The infant was tied on a board and then another board was attached at an angle. This then gradually increased the pressure on the baby's head creating a deeply sloped forehead. It was common for a child to die from this process, but as the sloped head was considered extremely attractive, the parents ignored the risk and deformation continued.

Whilst it was an extremely dangerous practice, it has been found that it had no effect on the intelligence of the child, as the brain has a great deal of plasticity in infancy and was able to accommodate itself to the new shape. The Mayas also held slightly crossed-eyes in high esteem. Apart from changing the actual shape of their children's heads, the Maya parents also attempted to induce this condition. They would do this by hanging a piece of thread between the infant's eyes with a stone or ball of resin attached that caused their eyes to focus on it, eventually causing the eyes to rotate inwards.

This is still practiced today with the Maya of today still considering crossed-eyes to be physically beautiful. Thank you for your business! I have inspected this item to the best of my ability & find it to be free of tears, stains, defects, etc. Please keep in mind that different computer monitors and settings may produce slight variations of colors. Tedious but Important General Information: Our home is non-smoking.

While I do my best to describe any scents, odors or potential allergens, my items are pre-owned. This may pose a problem for the exquisitely sensitive or very allergic... I sell many Vintage items-please remember that Vintage means they have almost always been used by someone, and may have a few flaws.

I do my best to point these out, so please check all pictures closely. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Cultures & Ethnicities\Latin American\Mexico\Folk Art".

The seller is "atwitsend9527" and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Africa, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Republic of Croatia, Malaysia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei Darussalam, Bolivia, Egypt, French Guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macau, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion.

Culture: Mexican
Provenance: Ownership History Available
Country/Region of Manufacture: Mexico