Casas Grandas Cup
This fine ceramic cup is in a style known to originate from the Casas Grandas culture of Northwest Mexico and Southwest USA, also known as the Paquimé. They certainly had trading links with the Aztec, but also may have had cultural ties with a common heritage. The design work and motifs are unlike those used in Mesoamerica and the crafting of the pot itself seems to be a lot finer than the other works on display at the Carlos Pellicer Camara museum, which does suggest this was made by more expert hands than the people of the Veracruz and surrounding areas, or they had access to better materials. The Huastec from El Tajin would have traded far enough north to have contact with the Casas Grandas people and far enough south for goods to have made their way into circulation with the Veracruz region, however it is unclear if this cup was found in the region or donated to the museum.
© Robin Heyworth, 30th December 2001
