Standing carved figure,

500–200 BCE

Mezcala Stone Sculpture

The rough terrain of the mountainous upper Balsas River drainage in Guerrero, Mexico, has hindered archaeological excavations in the region. Extensive looting, however, has revealed myriad examples of small, polished stone carvings—architectural models and animal carvings, among other forms—lauded for their abstraction of form and elegant simplicity. Dubbed Mezcala, the culture that produced these sculptures remains poorly understood, although recent excavations in the region have suggested the dates 500–200 B.C. for this enigmatic style. This dating supports the position that the Mezcala stone-carving tradition informed that of later Teotihuacan, as some scholars have long suspected.