Prehistoric Casas Grandes Jar

Pre-Columbian, Northern Mexico, Casas Grandes, ca. 1100 to 1200 CE. A delightful coil-made and hand-painted pottery vessel of figural form, all enveloped in beige slip beneath red and black decoration. Sitting upon a round yet stable base, the jar presents a bulbous body an anthropomorphic head with coffee bean-shaped eyes, a pointed nose, an open mouth, and petite ears. The flat-topped head opens at the back to form the rim of the vessel. Mesmerizing geometric, nested, and spiraling patterns adorn the exterior surface. Casas Grandes (Spanish for “Great Houses” also known as Paquime) is a prehistoric archaeological site in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. Casas Grandes is one of the largest and most complex Mogollon culture sites in the region. Settlement began after 1130 CE and would see the larger buildings developed into multi-storied dwellings after 1350 CE. The community was abandoned approximately 1450 CE. Casas Grandes is regarded as one of the most significant Mogollon archaeological zones in the northwestern Mexico region, linking it to other sites in Arizona and New Mexico, and exhibiting the expanse of the Mogollon sphere of influence.