Seated Couple, 100 BC-300 AD (ceramic)

Seated man and woman joined at the legs and facing each other. The woman holds a bowl for her companion, who brings a drinking tube to his mouth. One of the man's arms is gently draped over the woman's shoulder. This sculpture is in the Ameca-Etzatlán style which is characterized by elongated heads; large, carved eyes; straight, naturalistic noses; and open mouths displaying incised teeth. The elongated heads are consistent with cranial deformation - the flattening of the infant's cranium - which was probably a sign of prestige. Both figures wear almost identical hair styles or headdresses with a headband decorated with appliqué dots. Additional adornments include earspools, leg bands (on the man), a skirt (on the woman), and appliqué dots on the shoulders possibly representing decorative scarification.