File:Colima - Seated Male with Trophy Heads - Walters 20092010 - Detail A.jpg

English: This figure-as-vessel features a seated male of commanding presence. The sculptor painted the jar's orifice and the man's arms with dark red slip to contrast with the piece's otherwise orange-red coloration. The figure's loins are covered by the typical male hip cloth, indicated here by incised lines. He holds a gourd-shaped bowl to his mouth ready to drink its contents, perhaps a chocolate or alcoholic beverage. A helmetlike head covering includes an arched element above each ear and a hornlike protrusion at the front. The sculpture might portray a warrior, implied by the two trophy heads slung across his chest and hanging at his sides. The horned element atop the figure's forehead suggests other interpretations, particularly that of a shaman and his supernatural horn. The shaman would use the horn to battle malevolent spiritual forces, the horn also symbolizing his tonally (vital essence and spirit power). An alternative interpretation views the hornlike element as a symbol of social hierarchy and rulership, sacrifice, and cosmic geography and the earth's fertility. It represents a prong cut from a conch shell that throughout Mesoamerica was associated with rituals of sacrifice and warfare, and also expressed political rank. As such, the figure may be understood as portraying a person of social and political authority based on religious ideology. This latter interpretation is supported by the feasting implication of the figure holding the gourd-shaped bowl, feasting being an integral part of elite activities throughout the ancient Americas.