Sacrificer statue; Costa Rica, Guápiles Region, Huetar Civilisation, AD 1000-1500.
Basalt.
It has remains of an ancient label.
Includes expert appraisal of the Arts des Amériques Gallery (Paris).
Measurements: 31 x 22 x 16 cm.
Male figure of a warrior, carved in basalt, depicted standing, holding an axe in one hand and a small trophy head resting on his chest in the other. The work of the shoulders at almost right angles, as well as the rest of the composition, both the lines of the pelvis and the legs, give the sculpture square features. This type of carving was very common in the area of ancient Costa Rica, and similar examples can be found in numerous types of stone and with some stylistic variations.
Central America is the cultural area between the southeastern Maya periphery in Guatemala and northwestern Honduras and South America. The pre-Columbian peoples of the area built pyramids and ceremonial centres and had strong traditions. They produced a variety of works in ceramics and metalwork, especially the use of stone for sculpture was widespread. They did not have the cultural characteristics that define Mesoamerican civilisation to the north, such as calendars and writings. Sculptures in volcanic stone, some bearing trophy heads, are characteristic of Costa Rica. The Huetares were an important indigenous group in Costa Rica, living in the mid-16th century in the centre of what is now the country. The Huetares were the most powerful and best organised indigenous nation in Costa Rica at the time of the arrival of the Spanish. The name "Huetares" is attributed to the Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, derived from the name of two chieftains: King Huetara, chieftain of the kingdom of Pacaca, and King Huetara, chieftain of the kingdom of Pacaca.