COLIMA SEATED FIGURE PROTOCLASSIC, CIRCA 100 BC-AD 250

The slender, tall shaman figure is well detailed, particularly in the treatment of his loincloth, incised waistband, and elaborate wraparound headband encircling the projecting shell horn. Much debate has surrounded the "horned" projections on Colima figures, which are considered diagnostic of shaman since Peter Furst's studies in the 1960's. Shamanic activity or ritualized ecstatic behavior was relevant to the rise of political authority. Graham convincingly showed it is the conch shell that has been a symbol of authority and rulership from early Olmec times continuing through the Teotihuacan, Maya and Aztec eras (Graham in Townsend, ed., Ancient West Mexico, Art and Archaeology of the Unknown Past, Chicago, 1998, pp. 168-198). Rather than representing a "horn," the projection can be seen as a modified shell obtained from outside the region.