Along the region of the Rio Mezcala in the Central portion of the Mexican state of Guerrero, an ancient culture evolved which created highly expressive and powerful stone ritual objects. Possibly springing from the same roots as the famous Olmec culture, the people of Mezcala imbued Celts, axes used for hafting, with both magical and spiritual symbolism. The talented Mezcala artists who created these dynamic ritual Celts developed a powerful, expressive style of abstraction remarkably close to that of many modern artists.
This amulet is a smaller version of larger sized Mezcala idols. Its diminutive nature suggests it may have been carried by its owner during travels. The form of the piece is divided into three segments: the head on top, torso in the middle, and legs at the bottom. Two pairs of incised parallel lines crisscross each other in an x-formation along the torso, as if the figure's arms were crossed with his hands resting on the opposite shoulders. The most dominant facial features are the eyes, although additional incised lines demarcate the mouth, nose, cheeks, and forehead. This little amulet surely once served some important ceremonial or religious function, the meaning of which has been lost to us. It's power, however, remains as potent as it ever was.