by Mary Harrsch © 2025
As I continue to work on images I took of the pre-Columbian art at the de Young Museum, I asked ClaudeAI how archaeologists distinguished Nayarit artifacts from those of the Jalisco culture since the two societies at their closest proximity were only about 20 – 30 miles apart. Although there are mountain ranges between them, scholars don’t think they prevented cultural exchange.
Geographic Distribution
• Nayarit culture was centered in the modern Mexican state of Nayarit
• Jalisco culture was primarily in the modern state of Jalisco
• There was significant overlap in border regions
Ceramic Figures and Styles
• Nayarit figures often feature more elaborate, vibrant polychrome decoration with red, cream, and black being common
• Jalisco ceramics typically have more restrained color palettes, often relying on burnished red-on-cream
• Nayarit figures frequently depict intimate domestic scenes and activities
• Jalisco is known for its hollow ceramic figures in more formal, rigid poses
Architectural Models
• Nayarit produced distinctive house models (maquetas) showing detailed domestic settings with multiple figures
• Jalisco architectural models tend to be less complex with fewer figures
Stylistic Elements
• Nayarit figures often have distinctive almond-shaped or "coffee bean" eyes with slits
• Jalisco figures typically feature more open, circular eyes
• Nayarit ceramics show more attention to detailed ornamentation like jewelry and body paint
• Jalisco works generally express more restraint in decoration
Contextual Evidence
• Archaeological context, including burial patterns and associated artifacts
• Scientific analysis techniques like thermoluminescence dating and materials analysis
These distinctions aren't always clear-cut since these cultures had significant interaction and cultural exchange. Many artifacts fall into a broader "Western Mexico" classification when specific attribution is uncertain.”
Both cultures used shaft tombs in their burial practices so I asked ClaudeAI “Did the Nayarit culture produce significant numbers of figurines depicting ill or deformed individuals like the Jalisco culture?”
Claude replied, “Yes, the Nayarit culture did produce figurines depicting individuals with illnesses or physical conditions, though with some distinctions from Jalisco examples.
Both cultures created what archaeologists sometimes call "disease figures" or "pathological figures," but there are differences in frequency and representation:
• Relative frequency: While both cultures produced such figures, the Jalisco culture is generally recognized for creating a larger corpus and greater variety of pathological representations.
• Style of representation: Nayarit disease figures tend to incorporate their characteristic stylistic elements - more elaborate polychrome decoration, expressive poses, and the distinctive "coffee bean" eyes. Jalisco figures typically show the conditions with their characteristic more restrained aesthetic.
• Types of conditions: Both cultures depicted various conditions including:
o Skeletal deformities
o Dwarfism
o Spinal conditions (kyphosis, lordosis)
o Facial abnormalities
o Various disease states
• Context: In Nayarit work, disease figures are often incorporated into their complex domestic scenes and house models, contextualizing the individuals within community settings. Jalisco figures are more frequently standalone representations.
These pathological figures from both cultures are significant to archaeologists and medical historians for what they reveal about health conditions in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and cultural attitudes toward illness and physical difference. The figures suggest these individuals were integrated into society rather than marginalized.”
I followed up with “Jalisco figures depicting diseased or deformed individuals have been found in concentrations suggesting a healing center or shamanistic structure. This is not usual for the Nayarit then?”
Claude replied: “You're highlighting an important archaeological distinction. The concentrated deposits of Jalisco pathological figures in specific locations is indeed a notable characteristic not typically observed in the same way with Nayarit disease figures.
For Jalisco:
• Archaeologists have found significant concentrations of disease/pathological figures in specific contexts
• These concentrations have been interpreted as potentially representing healing centers, ritual spaces, or areas associated with shamanic practices
• The specialized spatial distribution suggests these figures may have had specific ritualistic or medicinal functions
For Nayarit:
• Disease figures are more commonly found distributed among broader burial contexts
• They tend to appear integrated into the domestic scenes and household models (maquetas) typical of Nayarit ceramic traditions
• There is less evidence of concentrated "specialized deposits" specifically for disease figures
• This suggests a possibly different cultural approach to illness and physical conditions - perhaps viewing them more as integrated aspects of community life rather than subjects requiring specialized ritual spaces
This difference in depositional patterns provides valuable insight into potentially different cultural approaches to health, disease, and healing between these neighboring cultures. The Jalisco pattern suggests more specialized ritual healing practices, while the Nayarit distribution pattern might indicate a more socially integrated approach to individuals with physical differences or health conditions.
That said, archaeological understanding continues to evolve with new discoveries and interpretations. There may be Nayarit healing centers yet to be discovered, or the existing evidence might be reinterpreted with future findings.”
I thought the lack of a hierarchy in religious practice may have produced a different “world view” for the Nayarit so I asked about this.
ClaudeAI said: “Archaeological evidence has provided several insights into Nayarit religious practices, though much remains to be fully understood:
Burial Practices
• Shaft tombs containing elaborate grave goods suggest beliefs about the afterlife
• Multi-chambered tombs often contained household items, suggesting preparation for afterlife needs
• Ceramic models of houses with figures performing rituals provide glimpses of ceremonial activities
Ritual Objects
• Ceramic incense burners and vessels likely used in ceremonial contexts
• Ritual bloodletting implements similar to those found throughout Mesoamerica
• Ceremonial metates (grinding stones) that appear to have non-utilitarian functions
Iconography
• Recurring motifs of animals with symbolic significance (birds, serpents, dogs)
• Figures depicting individuals in apparent trance or altered states
• Representations of possible shamanic transformation between human and animal forms
Architectural Evidence
• Some evidence of ceremonial spaces and platforms, though less monumental than other Mesoamerican cultures
• Household shrines showing domestic religious practices
Broader Cultural Context
• Similarities to other Western Mexican religious practices suggest shared cosmological beliefs
• Evidence of veneration of ancestors
• Possible connections to astronomical observations
The Nayarit, like many pre-Columbian cultures, likely had a complex worldview that integrated religion with daily life, the natural world, and social structures. Their distinctive ceramic house models with detailed human figures provide unusually intimate glimpses into the integration of ritual with domestic life, suggesting that religious practice wasn't strictly separated from everyday activities.
The absence of extensive written records makes it challenging to understand the specifics of their belief system, though continued archaeological work continues to reveal new details about their religious practices.”
“But no distinctive religious structures?” I asked.
Claude replied, “You're highlighting an important archaeological observation. Unlike many other Mesoamerican cultures that built prominent pyramids, temples, or other monumental religious architecture, the Nayarit culture has not yielded evidence of large-scale, distinctive religious structures.
This apparent absence of monumental religious architecture is notable and suggests several possibilities:
1. Their religious practices may have been more decentralized and integrated into household or community spaces rather than concentrated in specialized temple complexes
2. Religious ceremonies might have been conducted in natural settings (caves, mountains, springs) that wouldn't leave obvious architectural remains
3. They may have used perishable materials (wood, thatch) for their ceremonial structures that haven't survived in the archaeological record
4. The focus on elaborate shaft tombs suggests their religious emphasis may have been more on funerary practices and ancestor veneration than on public ceremonial architecture
5. Some platforms and modified spaces identified at Nayarit sites might have had religious functions that aren't immediately recognizable as "temples" in the conventional sense
This characteristic distinguishes them from contemporaneous cultures in Central Mexico and the Maya region, where monumental religious architecture was prominent. It's one of the distinctive features of Western Mexican cultures like the Nayarit that has led archaeologists to recognize them as following somewhat different cultural trajectories than other Mesoamerican civilizations.
The elaborate household models (maquetas) found in tombs, with their detailed depictions of various activities, might actually provide clues that domestic spaces were more central to their religious life than specialized temple structures.
While both cultures were part of the broader West Mexican tradition and shared many characteristics (especially their shaft tomb traditions), the archaeological record suggests some differences in their approaches to ceremonial architecture:
• The Jalisco culture appears to have had more dedicated ceremonial spaces and structures, including the healing centers or shamanistic structures you mentioned earlier where disease figures were concentrated
• Nayarit sites show less evidence of specialized religious structures, possibly indicating a more household-centered or decentralized approach to religious practices
This architectural distinction aligns with other differences we've discussed:
• Jalisco's concentrated deposits of pathological figures in potential healing centers
• Nayarit's integration of similar figures into domestic scenes and household models
These patterns might reflect meaningful differences in how these neighboring cultures organized their religious and healing practices—Jalisco potentially developing more specialized ritual spaces and practitioners, while Nayarit possibly maintained more integrated community approaches to both religion and health.”
Switching to ChatGPT I asked, “Would this reflect a difference in egalitarianism or development of trade with a more urbanized society?”
“The presence of healing centers with shamanic practices in Jalisco but not in neighboring Nayarit likely reflects both differences in social organization and varying degrees of interaction with urbanized societies. Several key factors could explain this divergence:
1. Social Structure: Egalitarianism vs. Hierarchy
• The Jalisco culture’s emphasis on healing centers suggests a specialized role for healers or shamans, which may indicate a more hierarchical or stratified society where certain individuals held specialized religious and medical authority.
• In contrast, the Nayarit culture, despite its elaborate shaft tombs and figurative traditions, may have maintained a more egalitarian social structure, where healing was a household or communal activity rather than a centralized practice.
2. Trade and Interaction with Urbanized Cultures
• Jalisco’s healing centers may indicate influence from or trade with larger Mesoamerican urban centers, such as Teotihuacán, where organized healing and spiritual practices were more formalized.
• The presence of figurines depicting disease and deformity could imply knowledge of urban plagues, congenital conditions, or warfare-related injuries, which might have been more common in societies with greater movement of people and goods.
• Nayarit’s relative lack of similar centers might suggest a less intense connection to major urban centers or a cultural preference for decentralized healing traditions.
3. Regional Environmental and Economic Differences
• If Jalisco had a more diverse economy tied to trade networks, it might have absorbed medical and spiritual practices from neighboring urbanized societies.
• Nayarit, with its coastal and riverine environment, may have had a more self-sufficient healing tradition, relying on communal knowledge rather than institutionalized healing centers.
Conclusion
The presence of healing centers in Jalisco but not in Nayarit suggests both a difference in social organization (more hierarchical vs. more egalitarian) and differing levels of contact with urbanized trade networks. Jalisco’s cultural development may have been shaped by greater exposure to outside influences, leading to specialized healing roles, whereas Nayarit maintained a more localized and less formalized approach to health and ritual practice.
Then I asked, “Have objects associated with Teotihuacán been found in Jalisco contexts but not Nayarit contexts?”
So far, apparently, extensive excavations of the Guachimontones pyramids near Tequila, Jalisco and ruins of Teocaltitán in Los Altos, Jalisco have not revealed any identifiable Teotihuacán artifacts within these contexts.
Since ClaudeAI did not mention the presence of pyramids as religious structures in Nayarit, I asked if they did have pyramids, though.
ChatGPT replied, “Yes, monumental structures, including pyramids, have been discovered at archaeological sites in Nayarit, Mexico.
Notable examples include:
Ixtlán del Río (Los Toriles): This site features a variety of pre-Hispanic structures, among them pyramidal platforms. Located near the town of Ixtlán del Río, Los Toriles is part of the Aztlán tradition that flourished in the region from approximately 300 BCE. The site includes a museum showcasing unearthed artifacts.
Jala: Near the town of Jala, there is an archaeological site featuring one of the few round-based pyramids found in Mexico. This site is thought to date back to around 700 CE.
Banderas Bay Region: Archaeological investigations have identified at least 111 sites along the coast of Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit. Among these discoveries is a ball game court and a 10-meter-high pyramid near a school and soccer field in the Ixtapa area, located a short distance inland from the coast.
Archaeologists have proposed several theories regarding the purpose of the pyramidal structures found in Nayarit, Mexico:
1. Ritualistic Functions:
• Some scholars suggest that these pyramids served ceremonial purposes, possibly linked to the worship of deities such as Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god associated with wind. The rounded architecture of certain pyramids might have been designed to complement the omnidirectional nature of the wind, aligning with the characteristics of this deity.
2. Astronomical Observatories:
• Discoveries in western Mexico, including Nayarit, indicate that some pyramidal structures functioned as astronomical observatories. These edifices were strategically constructed to align with solar events, aiding in the observation of celestial bodies and the tracking of time for agricultural and ceremonial purposes.
3. Funerary Practices:
• The region is renowned for its shaft tomb tradition, where deep vertical shafts lead to burial chambers. It's plausible that certain pyramidal structures were erected above these tombs, serving as monumental markers for the interred, reflecting the community's reverence for their ancestors.
4. Symbolic Representation:
• Some archaeologists propose that these pyramids were constructed to resemble nearby volcanoes, such as the Tequila volcano. This design choice might symbolize a connection to the land's natural features, emphasizing the community's relationship with their environment.”
“So the Nayarit possibly had formal religious structures but this cultural practice did not extend to centralized care for the ill or deformed?” I asked.
“That seems to be the case based on the available evidence. The presence of pyramidal structures in Nayarit suggests formalized religious or ceremonial practices, but there is no clear indication of centralized care for the ill or deformed, as seen in Jalisco with its figurine assemblages depicting illness and deformity.
This difference could be attributed to various factors:
1. Cultural Priorities – Nayarit societies may have placed more emphasis on religious rituals and ancestor veneration (as seen in the shaft tomb tradition) rather than on communal healing practices.
2. Socioeconomic Organization – Jalisco might have had a more structured society with specialized roles, including healers or shamans, whereas Nayarit may have been more decentralized, lacking a formalized system for caring for the sick.
3. Trade and External Influences – If Jalisco had stronger connections with Teotihuacán or other urban centers, it might have adopted certain practices, including specialized healing traditions, while Nayarit remained more insular.
4. Different Conceptions of Health and Disability – Nayarit societies may not have viewed illness and deformity in the same way as Jalisco. Some cultures saw these conditions as signs of spiritual power rather than ailments requiring treatment,” ChatGPT replied.
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