{"id":"cma-155573","titulo":{"en":"Zapotec Whistle Figure with Headdress","es":"Figura-silbato zapoteca con tocado"},"titulo_original":"Whistle Figure","autor":"Unknown maker / Autor desconocido","fecha":"500–1000","cultura":"Mexico, Oaxaca, Zapotec, Monte Albáb IIIB","tecnica":"molded pottery","fuente":"Cleveland Museum of Art","licencia":"CC0-1.0","licencia_url":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/","credito":"Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener","url_original":"https://clevelandart.org/art/1990.274","imagen_url":"https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1990.274/1990.274_web.jpg","ficha":{"en":{"titulo":"Zapotec Whistle Figure with Headdress","se_ve":"Centered against a soft gradient background shifting from dark charcoal at the top to pale gray at the bottom, a small molded pottery figure stands facing forward, filling most of the vertical frame. Its imagined scale is modest, a handheld object a few inches tall, with a compact, slightly irregular silhouette and worn, chipped edges. The face is broad and flattened, with low-relief half-closed eyes, a pronounced triangular nose, and a thin horizontal incision for the mouth, conveying a calm, inward expression. Above, an oversized elaborate headdress dominates the composition: a central stepped element crowns the head, flanked by two concentric circular ear-spools or discs, with curling lateral volutes that extend outward like wings. Side pendants frame the cheeks and jaw. A thick raised necklace encircles the short neck. The torso is stout and cylindrical, with minimal anatomical modeling, and the arms appear only as small rounded bumps fused to the sides. The base resolves into two short, stumpy legs with a small arch of negative space between them. The surface is granular, pitted and abraded, showing mottled hues of rust brown, burnt orange, ochre and ashy gray. Diffuse lighting gently models the relief, highlighting the porous texture, encrustations and areas of loss that speak to age and burial.","contexto":"Source data identifies the work as Whistle Figure by an unknown maker, dated 500–1000 CE, attributed to the Zapotec culture of Oaxaca, Mexico, Monte Albán IIIB phase. It is made of molded pottery and classified as sculpture in the Art of the Americas department at the Cleveland Museum of Art. No further description is provided, so its precise findspot and original use are not documented. It likely belongs to a widespread Mesoamerican tradition of hollow whistle figurines used for votive, funerary or celebratory purposes during the Late Classic period, reflecting Zapotec styles after the height of Monte Albán.","como_mirarla":"Start with the oversized headdress that frames and emphasizes the serene face. Move to the weathered clay surface to notice the circular discs and the thick necklace. Consider how the tiny, simplified body contrasts with the complex headgear, hinting at status or symbolic meaning.","dato_curioso":"Many Zapotec whistle figures were functional aerophones with an internal chamber and vent holes that still produce sound when blown, combining sculpture and music in ritual contexts.","preguntas":["What does the figure's half-closed gaze suggest to you about its mood or purpose?","How does knowing it could make sound change the way you imagine it being used?","What details in the headdress might signal identity, rank or a ceremonial role?"]},"es":{"titulo":"Figura-silbato zapoteca con tocado","se_ve":"En el centro, sobre un fondo gris degradado que va de oscuro arriba a claro abajo, se alza una pequeña figura antropomorfa de cerámica vista de frente. Ocupa casi todo el encuadre vertical, de unos pocos centímetros de escala imaginada, con silueta compacta y bordes irregulares y erosionados. El rostro es ancho y aplanado, con ojos entornados o cerrados en relieve bajo, nariz triangular prominente y boca marcada por una línea horizontal. Lleva un tocado grande y muy ornamentado que supera el ancho de la cabeza: en la parte superior hay un elemento central escalonado, flanqueado por dos círculos concéntricos a modo de orejeras o discos, y volutas laterales que se extienden como alas. Bajo el tocado caen mechones o adornos a los lados del rostro. El cuello muestra un collar grueso en relieve. El torso es corto, cilíndrico y sin detalle anatómico fino, con brazos apenas sugeridos como protuberancias laterales pegadas al cuerpo. Las piernas son dos muñones cortos y separados que sostienen la pieza. La superficie es rugosa, porosa y moteada, con tonos de terracota oxidado, marrón rojizo, ocre anaranjado y manchas grisáceas por desgaste. La luz suave modela el relieve y acentúa la textura granulada y las zonas descascaradas, dando sensación de antigüedad y fragilidad.","contexto":"La ficha de la fuente identifica la pieza como Whistle Figure, de autor desconocido, fechada entre 500 y 1000 d.C., asociada a la cultura zapoteca de Oaxaca, México, fase Monte Albán IIIB. Está modelada en cerámica moldeada y pertenece a la categoría de escultura del departamento Art of the Americas del Cleveland Museum of Art. No se aporta descripción adicional, por lo que no se conocen su función exacta ni su contexto de hallazgo. Probablemente formaba parte de la tradición de figurillas huecas y silbatos de uso votivo, funerario o festivo, común en Mesoamérica durante el Clásico Tardío. Su estilo corresponde al horizonte zapoteco posterior al apogeo de Monte Albán.","como_mirarla":"Empieza por el tocado desproporcionado, que enmarca y jerarquiza el rostro sereno. Luego baja a la textura erosionada del barro para notar los discos laterales y el collar. Fíjate al final en cómo la pequeñez y la simplicidad del cuerpo contrastan con la complejidad del tocado, lo que sugiere rango o simbolismo.","dato_curioso":"Las figurillas-silbato zapotecas de este tipo solían ser instrumentos sonoros reales, con una cámara interior y orificios que permitían producir sonido al soplar, además de su función visual como ofrenda.","preguntas":["¿Qué te comunica la expresión del rostro con los ojos entrecerrados?","¿Cómo cambia tu interpretación al saber que la pieza podía sonar como silbato?","¿Qué pistas del tocado te hacen pensar en identidad, estatus o rol ritual?"]}},"etiquetas":{"en":["zapotec","oaxaca","monte alban","molded pottery","whistle figure","headdress","pre-hispanic art","late classic","mesoamerica","sculpture","archaeology","ritual"],"es":["zapoteco","oaxaca","monte albán","cerámica moldeada","figura-silbato","tocado","arte prehispánico","clásico tardío","mesoamérica","escultura","arqueología","ritual"]},"objetos":["figura antropomorfa de cerámica","tocado ornamentado","discos circulares","collar"],"colores":["#8C5A3C","#A67C52","#5E4A3B","#B99B7A","#3B3B3B"],"animo":["sereno","ancestral","táctil"],"epoca":"500–1000 d.C. (Monte Albán IIIB, Clásico mesoamericano)","certeza":"media","advertencias":[],"capa":{"voces":[{"guia":"la restauradora","en":"I pause on the rough and mottled surface where the passage of time can be read. I see terracotta tones, reddish brown and orange ochre with grayish stains and flaking areas. The eroded edges and porous texture speak to fragility and centuries of wear. I notice the wide headdress with its central stepped element and the side discs. The collar in relief and the stumps that serve as legs reveal a simple but expressive molded ceramic.","es":"Me detengo en la superficie rugosa y moteada donde se lee el paso del tiempo. Veo tonos terracota, marrón rojizo y ocre anaranjado con manchas grisáceas y zonas descascaradas. Los bordes erosionados y la textura porosa me hablan de fragilidad y de siglos de desgaste. Observo el tocado ancho con su elemento escalonado central y los discos laterales. El collar en relieve y los muñones que hacen de piernas muestran una cerámica moldeada sencilla pero expresiva."},{"guia":"el astrónomo aficionado","en":"When I look at this figure I think about how the sky also leaves marks on the earth. This ceramic piece from Oaxaca, dated between 500 and 1000 CE in the Monte Alban IIIB phase, reminds me that Zapotec people watched cycles to plant and celebrate. Its headdress with circular discs and stepped shape makes me imagine symbols of the sun or sacred hills. Although we do not know its exact use, its hollow whistle form suggests sound, air and perhaps rituals where time was measured with the cosmos.","es":"Cuando miro esta figura pienso en cómo el cielo también deja marcas en la tierra. Esta pieza de cerámica de Oaxaca, fechada entre 500 y 1000 d.C. en la fase Monte Albán IIIB, me recuerda que los zapotecos observaban ciclos para sembrar y celebrar. Su tocado con discos circulares y forma escalonada me hace imaginar símbolos del sol o de cerros sagrados. Aunque no sabemos su uso exacto, su hechura hueca como silbato sugiere sonido, aire y quizá rituales donde el tiempo se medía con el cosmos."},{"guia":"la niña de ocho años","en":"It looks like a little clay doll with a giant hat! It has a wide face, tiny closed eyes and a nose like a triangle. Its headdress is huge, with two wheels on the sides and a little stepped thing on top that looks like a cake. It wears a thick necklace and its arms are stuck close to the body, and its little legs are two short stumps. It looks very old and scratchy, in burnt orange with gray spots. If it is a whistle, I wonder what sound it would make if we blew into it.","es":"¡Parece un muñequito de barro con un sombrero gigante! Tiene la cara ancha, ojos cerraditos y una nariz como triángulo. Su tocado es enorme, con dos ruedas a los lados y una cosita escalonada arriba que parece un pastel. Lleva un collar grueso y sus brazos están pegaditos al cuerpo, y sus piernitas son dos muñones cortitos. Se ve viejito y rasposito, de color naranja quemado con manchitas grises. Si es un silbato, me pregunto qué sonido haría si soplamos."}],"retos":[{"pregunta":{"en":"How many large circular discs flank the stepped element of the headdress?","es":"¿Cuántos discos circulares grandes flanquean el elemento escalonado del tocado?"},"pista":{"en":"Look at the upper part of the headdress, on both sides of the center.","es":"Mira la parte superior del tocado, a ambos lados del centro."}},{"pregunta":{"en":"What color is the background around the figure, dark on top and light below?","es":"¿De qué color es el fondo que rodea la figura, oscuro arriba y claro abajo?"},"pista":{"en":"It is a neutral gradient tone that contrasts with the terracotta of the ceramic.","es":"Es un tono neutro degradado que contrasta con el terracota de la cerámica."}},{"pregunta":{"en":"What raised ornament does the figure wear around the neck?","es":"¿Qué adorno en relieve lleva la figura alrededor del cuello?"},"pista":{"en":"It is thick and surrounds the base of the wide flattened face.","es":"Es grueso y rodea la base del rostro ancho y aplanado."}}],"conexiones":["cerámica moldeada mesoamericana","tocados y símbolos de estatus","figuras-silbato de uso ritual","Monte Albán y cultura zapoteca","texturas de desgaste arqueológico","arte prehispánico de Oaxaca","escultura antropomorfa en miniatura"]},"salas":[],"escrita_por":"muse-spark-open-1026"}