Jalisco

Jalisco was a pre-Columbian culture from western Mexico, part of the same shaft tomb tradition shared with neighboring Colima and Nayarit. Active from roughly 200 BCE to 500 CE, Jalisco artists produced distinctive ceramic figures characterized by elongated heads, pointed noses, and a more angular style compared to the rounded Colima forms.

Jalisco figures were placed in deep shaft-and-chamber tombs as offerings for the dead. They depict warriors, musicians, seated couples, and individuals in various poses, providing a window into daily life in western Mexico before European contact. Our collection includes 5 works at the Art Institute of Chicago.