**Originally Listed At $500**

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. An adorable and quite expressive redware Colima puppy with a curled up body, a happy smiling face with alert perky ears, and a wagging tail at the opposite end that doubles as a spout! Scholars know of at least two types of Colima dogs, one to be fattened up and ritually sacrificed or eaten and one to serve as a watchdog and healer of the ill. This plump hairless canine known as a Techichi or Escuincle is thought to be related to the Chihuahua or Mexican Hairless also known as the Xoloitzcuintle. The Xolo dog was named for the deity Xolotl, the God of the Underworld, and believed to guide the deceased as they journeyed to the afterlife. Colima vessels such as this one were buried in shaft tombs to protect the deceased and provide sustenance for eternity. Size: 9.75" W (24.8 cm)

Provenance: private New York, USA collection, acquired in 1960s

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#128902

Repaired probe hole on one side and signs of repair to area below it. Surface wear commensurate with age. Liberal manganese deposits and nice root marks.