Architectural Model
Unknown Artist
1st–8th century
Medium
Stone
Dimensions
Height 5 in.
Classification
Stone-Sculpture
Culture
Mezcala
Department
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Arthur M. Bullowa, 1993
Accession Number
1994.35.645
Tags
Art Historical Context
This petite stone architectural model, standing just 5 inches tall, hails from the Mezcala culture of Guerrero, Mexico, dating to the 1st–8th century CE. Crafted by an unknown artist it exemplifies the Pre-Columbian tradition of miniature stone sculpture, likely representing a temple—a sacred structure central to Mesoamerican rituals and cosmology. Its compact scale belies its cultural weight, serving as a tangible link to the spiritual and architectural world of an ancient people. Mezcala artisans excelled in hardstone carving, surfaces to a smooth, luminous finish that emphasizes form over ...