Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. An impressive terracotta shaman depicted standing and holding a long staff or walking stick. The mysterious figure presents a rectangular body with petite nipples and prominent kneecaps. Looking upwards, the figure's visage features almond-shaped eyes under an arched brow, a naturalistic nose, and a straight mouth held slightly open. A sizable, curved shaman horn protrudes from the top of the head as two elongated ears with perforated lobes embellish either side of the head. The shaman's body is embellished with stripes of creamy beige paint. Much of the religious practice of this culture and others in Mesoamerica involved shamans or priests entering an altered state, often through the use of hallucinogenic substances. The figure's blank eyes and skyward-tilted head suggest such an entranced state. Size: 8.75" W x 17.75" H (22.2 cm x 45.1 cm)Colima, located on Mexico's southwestern coast, was during this time part of the shaft tomb culture, along with neighbors to the north in Jalisco and Nayarit. In this culture, the dead were buried down shafts - 3 to 20 meters deep - that were dug vertically or near vertically through the volcanic tuff that makes up the geology of the region. The base of the shaft would open into one or more horizontal chambers with a low ceiling. These shafts were almost always dug beneath a dwelling, probably a family home, and scholars posit that they were used as family mausoleums, housing the remains of many related individuals. This is a figure made to be placed inside those mausoleums, perhaps to mediate between the worlds of the living and the deceased. Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection;ex-private T. Misenhimer collection, Beverly Hills, California, USA, collected from 1970 to 2008 All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #161497