The Olmec jaguar paw-wing motif: correspondences in associated contexts Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Garbe, Patricia Ann, 1946- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 24/09/2021 13:18:13 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/317806 THE OLMEC JAGUAR PAW-WING MOTIF; CORRESPONDENCES IN ASSOCIATED CONTEXTS by Patricia Ann Garbe A Thesis Submitted to. the Faculty of the ..DEPARTMENT OF ART In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS WITH A MAJOR IN THE HISTORY OF ART In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 .7 1 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or repro­ duction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judg­ ment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED O m * X / O l M APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: ■klMAg T. ) Ml I (J ])a-ke Professor of Art PREFACE In the absence of written records and documents, traditional approaches of art history to art-orientated- / ' - studies of the earliest iconography of Mesoamerica have proven to be unsatisfactory* The identification of subject matter-in the earliest Mesoamerican-art styles involves identifications which, of necessity, are most often pro­ jected backward from later better established versions of similar motifs* The superficial nature of iconographical studies stemming from such an approach has precluded serious and penetrating analysis of specific motifs, within their respective artistic and cultural settings* However, .one avenue of exploration remains, that of detailed descriptive and comparative analysis of a motif when it appears as variants in different, but related con­ texts* The Olmec jaguar paw-wing motif is undoubtedly one of the earliest Mesoamerican decorative designs* This hallmark of the Early Preclassic Olmec art style is most often identified by scholars as developed jaguar symbolism* I examined the.paw-wing motif by using the following methods: First, to cite previous identifications of the - motif* ■ . iii 20 To make a preliminary identification of the motif based on its similarity to natural forms« 3„ To recognize the paw-w-ing - motif as a distinctive design which appears in jaguar, avian, and ser­ pentine variants» ...By,•means..o.f description and comparison to analyze . each variant to determine whether or not in a spe­ cific case the motif appears with the natural form of a jaguar, bird, or serpent, and further, to determine in which context— jaguar, bird, or serpent— the motif originated* 5° Finally, to identify the specific source of the paw-wing motif in Olmec art and to relate it to similar artistic and conceptual typologies in later Mesoamerican art styles* In lieu of ethnographic data these five methodological pro­ cedures comprise an alternate approach for the study of individual motifs in early Mesoamerican art styles* TABLE OF CONTENTS ■ x . Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS , e . e ' vii ,s A^BO-TR^A-CI .e- : e -..-x©.- t= o .v j © .^.e - o ’ '-*e - -.*© ■ © v o . ■ &■ *■#. - o o • « « • • • 3C - CHAPTER 1© INTRODUCTION .. » G O G © G The Olmec Problem; . Two Ramifications . 3 Methodological Approach to Artistic , Identifications •: . .. • 3 2© .THE CASE FOR HAND AND PAW ASSOCIATIONS . © « ' 5 Conclusions , © '• , © <. '• e; . • 14- 3© BIRD OR AVIAN ASSOCIATIONS . L © © . 16 Artistic Approach to Identifications ... 16- Better Established Occurrences .. .. © . 16 Stone Monuments ® 17 Early Preclassic Ceramics; Bird Wings and Tails ' .. , © . 21 Proposed Identifications . ■» © . „ © © ' . 26 The Tlatilco Paw-Wing Variants © * © 26 Miscellaneous Proposals . © 28 Correspondent Winged-Prets and '. Bird Heads. - . » ,. © © © 31 Detached Wings © © © © © © © T © © © 33 Clay Roller Stamps © © © © ©. © © © © 31- ■ Summary & © © © © © © © © © © ©. © & © 36 Conclusions © © © & © © © © © © © ©.© & © 3 ^ 4-e THE WINGED-SERPENT MOTIF: VARIANTS AND ASSOCIATIONS . © © © © © V 39 Artistic Approach to Identifications ' 40 Better Established Occurrences . ... 41 Stone -Monuments . ... » ... » . 41 Ceramics © © © © ■ © © ©..© © © © © © © 41~ vi TABLE OF CONTENTS— -Continued Page Proposed Identifications 49 The Crossed-Bands Motif »■ ® ' 49 ■ Superimposition of Crossed-Bands on Eye and Facial Features „ e 0 50 Crossed-Bands Motif as Costume ■ Becora-tron © »■ « *« © © © © ■© © © 05 Altar I, La Vent a: A Reconsideration '• © 72 Categorical Reconsideration of Avian Identifications „ « © .'A « © © © © 73 Summary and General Considerations © © © © ©. 78 Conclusions ©©©©©©©©©©©©©o©© 84 REFERENCES CITED © © © © © © © © © © © © © ... © 86 / LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1 „ Group I wing variants . * . » . 6 2o Tlatilco Group II wing variants 6 3o Reduced wing designs from Las Bocas and TlatxlCO & o e e o o o o e » © e e ^ Middle Precla^ssic clay figurine from Atlihuayan, Morelos « * . * «, * « « « «, e 9 5o Flat-stemmed stamp with wing design „ e 9 6 0 .The three-toed claw motif and "U" design variants employed as headdress ' decoration & & © o a © » « © © © © © © © 3 - 7© Altar I, La Vent a, Tabasco ,© „ 0 ■„ „ „ 6 © © © 18 8© Wing motif from side of anthropomorphic monumenu © ® © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © 18 91 Monument 9; hollow duck with raised ex­ cised wing designs from San Lorenzo, Veracruz © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © 20 10© Blackware straight-sided bowl from - Puebla © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © 22 11© Bird effigy vessel with spout for tail © © © © 23 12© Blackware bird effigy from Las Bocas, • Morelos ©©©©©©©o©©©©©©©©© 2 3 13© Clay roller stamp from Las Bocas, More1os © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © 23 14© Winged-serpent variant ©„©©©© ©©©©©© 29 , 15© Stylized wing variants carved on small clay spherical bottles © © © © © © © © © © 29 ' ■ vii - ■ ' . viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS— Continued Figure • Page i60 Undulating wing variant 30 17. White on buff roller stamp / . » » » « . 30 18o Developed roller stamp design which -formally -relate-s - to <tto.e ; wing motif 32 19» Straight-sided bowl from.Tlapacoya . « « . * . 32 20e Straight-sided blackware bowls from Las Bocas, Morelos «,«,<, eeoOCeoo«, 35 21 o Developed roller stamp design 35 22 0 Relief V, Chalcatzingo? Morelos e»<,eeeo«, 4-3 23, Glyph-like winged serpent * . « . « « * * * « » 4-3 24-«, Monument 195 La Vent a, Tabasco « « « « « « . « 4-5 25. .Stylized winged-serpent design motifs from Tlatilco, Valley of Mexico e e . = » o ® 4-6 26c Stylized winged-serpent design motifs from Las Bocas ? Morelos e e «, e e . e e «, * 4-6 27« Formal interrelationships between ser­ pent or "were-jaguar" profiles « « « * « * 52 28« Idol of San Martin, Veracruz C o l = « o 00 « 54- 29« Design engraved on obsidian core from La Vent a, Tabasco ©-o « © © © © © © © © © p8 30= Engraved serpent profile heads from the Las Limas statue, Las Limas, Veracruz 58 31 © Cylindrical vase from the Valley of Toluca, Puebla ©©©©©©©©©©©©o© ^ 8 32© Rim edge of Altar 4-, La Venta, Tabasco © © © © 60 ix LIST OF ILLUSTBATIONS— Continued Figure Page JJo Variable placement of the "U" motif along the rim edges of stone ' monumenus © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © 60 $4-0 Incised jade earplug from La Venta, TabaSCO ©©oeeeeooeoooooo © © 68 35„ Detail of Relief II, Chalcatzingo, Fio3?elos © © © © ©.© © © © © © © © © © © © © 68 $6© Enframed crossed-bands designs on pectorals and belt buckles ,©©©©© © © 70 ABSTRACT A detailed, descriptive' and comparative analysis of the paw-wing motif in jagnar, avian, and serpentine variants ‘adisdl'0'S^'"1 thdt '■the 'motif -originated' and stylistically devel­ oped in artistic portrayals of the winged-serpent concept* Nevertheless, the paw-v/ing motif has been described as human hands or jaguar paws in light of developed jaguar symbolism* It also appears as a bird wing* In Middle Preclassic Olmec art the three-, dimensionally rendered paw-wing motif appears as an 11X" or ’’crossed-bandse" This development is traced as it becomes increasingly stylized in winged-serpent ceramic designs of the Early Preclassic iconography* In both periods, plausible serpent symbolism or simply serpent derived formal elements are examined through the appearance of the "X" with "were-jaguar" masks and the anthropomorphic ideal of the Ol­ mec art style * The "were™jaguar" masks exhibit a close artistic and conceptual relationship to early serpent pro­ files and can be considered as such* The paw-wing motif is primarily associated with the winged-serpent design and concept, and is the earliest artistic expression of the snake and "X" motif in Mesoamer- ■ican art* . CHAPTER 1 • INTRODUCTION Recent archaeological work in Mesoamerica has been largely directed towards the definition of. evolutionary