Architectural Model
Unknown Artist
1st–8th century
Medium
Stone
Dimensions
Height 3-7/8 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
1994.35.667
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate stone Architectural Model, crafted by an unknown artist of the Mezcala culture between the 1st and 8th centuries CE offers a rare glimpse into ancient Mesoamerican. Hailing from the Balsas River region of Guerrero, Mexico, this 3-7/8-inch-high sculpture—likely pecked and polished from hard local stone—depicts a stepped temple or shrine, a form echoed in later Mesoamerican pyramids. Its compact scale belies its monumental subject, showcasing the Mezcala's mastery of miniature stone carving during the Preclassic to Early Classic periods. Mezcala artworks, classified as stone sculp...