Head Figure. Tlatilco, Mexico, 1200-900 BC. Terracotta. 4.2 cm Height. PROVENANCE: Private collection, V. Z., Netherlands, 1950 - 1980. CONDITION: Good condition. DESCRIPTION: The Tlatilco culture arose on the high plains of what is now central Mexico, on the shores of Lake Texcoco. The name ‘Tlatilco’ is the Nahuatl word for “place where things are hidden” or “place of mounds”. This lakeside region offers rich hunting and fishing grounds in a landscape of wooded hills and fertile valleys and a humid, rainy climate. The Taltilco emerged from the earlier El Arbolillo and Zacatenco cultures in the Mexico Valley and were influenced by the lowland Olmec people. These influences are expressed in the representations of felines, in the features of many Tlatilco figurines, and throughout the Tlatilco ceramic tradition. The Tlatilco culture disappeared between the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. The most notable Tlatilco artwork are ceramic figurines in human shapes, two kinds of which are known: large hollow figurines painted red, and small solid ones fashioned with remarkable skill and attention to detail. The smaller figurines are of naked young women decked out in elaborate headdresses and short skirts or body paint. Others represent two-headed figures, humpbacked people, and deformed or masked individuals. The Tlatilco figurines depict ceremonial clothing, personages, and people of different social rank, including ball players and contortionists. The culture’s ceramic vessels feature decorated forms with limited use of color. Their most common shapes show clear external influences and include dishes, jars without necks, long-necked bottles, three-legged jars, and bottles with stirrup handles. They also fashioned vessels modeled in the forms of local animals and plants, such as ducks, fish, and squash. Notes: The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki. The seller will take care that any necessary permits, like an export license will be arranged, he will inform the buyer about the status of it if this takes more than a few days. The piece includes authenticity certificate. The piece includes Spanish Export License.