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Immortal Spirits: The Pre-Columbian Afterlife

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Dog
Dog

The Colima culture had a long, rich tradition of terracotta figurines for funerary purposes. Figurines accompanied the dead into the afterlife and may be connected to shamanistic religious practices. Dogs were the most common type of figurines. Although they were a culinary delicacy, dogs also represent a companion spirit of the deceased or Xolotl, the Colima god of death.

Dog
Colima culture, Late Pre-Classic Period
200 B.C.E.-100 C.E.
West Mexico
Terracotta
(66.122)
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Milton Fischmann