One of the better known Pre-Columbian artistic styles, “Colima” derives from Western coastal Mexico, dating between 300 B.C. and 600 A.D. The highly burnished surfaces of such early Colima ceramic pieces are distinguished by their color and characteristic spotted black patina. A particularly cherished subject of representation is the Colima dog, patterned after a hairless variety of ancient dog known as the Techichi. Some scholars have speculated that the Colima believed dogs were emissaries of Xolotl, the god of the dead. As such, dogs were envisioned as a guide to lead the spirits of the dead to their resting place in the underworld and such representational objects might have been interred with the deceased. Despite their possible connection with the dead, the representations of these dogs often take on a playful and charming demeanor in this mode of expression. Other scholars have noted that this variety of dog was bred as a delicacy. Thus, their frequent portrayal as exceedingly plump accentuates the humorous nature of such representations.

This delightfully whimsical example is in the form of a short, squat dog, engaged in a playful wrestling match with a lizard, perhaps an iguana. The bodies of the two animals are formed together by the artist, the iguana draped over the back of the dog and facing the same direction as its playmate, its head momentarily caught in the dog’s jaws. The dog is alert, facing to its left, with its tail and head both at a position of attention. The piece is hollow, yet of a sturdy manufacture, and the mouth of the lizard forms the spout of a vessel. The two elements of the composition are painted in slightly different tones, the dog in a brick red, and the lizard in a medium tan, each bearing the characteristic spotted patina mentioned above.

The dog, seemingly confident about the outcome of this match, appears to present the iguana to an unseen master. The iguana, far from defeated, seems to be a very formidable and well-matched partner for the dog. Though momentarily pinned by the dog’s jaws, it continues to contend with the dog in this friendly contest, the iguana’s mouth open and its legs poised and straining against the dog’s powerful torso.

How many times have we watched dogs wrestle with one another, not out of anger, but as an expression of their playfully aggressive nature? Regardless of whom the winner is, the camaraderie established by this kind of harmless play fighting serves to cement the bonds of friendship, such as those seen here between the charmingly arrogant little dog and his reptilian playmate. Although they are members of different species, their bonds are as strong as the clay that cements their forms together. They are frozen in a moment of time as if caught off guard by a sudden sound, or an observer who has made him or herself known, witnessing this playful interchange.