An exhibit of ancient, ceramic statuettes, the likes of which have not been seen here before, is showing at the Museo Regional in downtown Guadalajara until April 14.
The selection of 30 pieces entitled “Universo, Cuerpo y Sexualidad en el Occidente Prehispanico” (Universe, Body and Sexuality in the Prehispanic Western Mexico) is tucked into a first-floor alcove of the Museo Regional, on Calle Liceo just behind and north of the cathedral.
But if this or the theme of the display trigger expectations for the romantic or risque, visitors may be disappointed in the squat figurines depicting men and women with enlarged sexual parts, one couple cuddling and mothers with babies. Even the figure of a masturbating man with a huge penis can hardly be classified as pornographic, although perhaps this is not an exhibit to which everyone will want to take their children.
But the monks who helped colonize Mexico apparently viewed the sexual practices (and polytheism) of the native Mexicans with alarm, said Ruiz. “The vision of the body changed after the Spanish arrived. They brought monotheism and the idea that sexuality is taboo.”
Placards in the display explain how prehispanic deities had both male and female attributes and that the brutal conquistador Nuño de Guzman was aghast at capturing a brave warrior he thought was a woman only to find that it was a man in disguise.
The masturbating figure, Ruiz explained, was engaged in ritual masturbation connected with crop fertility — another custom that dismayed the Spanish and served as an argument in favor of colonization.
The small clay figurines were all found in Jalisco, Michoacan, Colima and Nayarit, said Ruiz. They date from 200 A.D. until the time of the Spanish conquest in the mid-1500s.
“Universo, Cuerpo y Sexualidad en el Occidente Prehispanico,” Museo Regional, Calle Liceo between Hidalgo and Independencia, Centro Historico. Open 9 to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. $45 pesos to enter. Children under 2, students and teachers with ID enter free. Sundays no entrance charge. Closed Mondays.