Statue 26, Mesita B, stone, 1.8 m x 73 cm, Parque Arqueológico de San Agustín, Colombia

In the San Agustin culture, the Classic Period starts at the beginning of our era and extends through 900 AD. It is characterized by the extraordinary development of monumental stone sculptures linked to an intense funeral cult. San Agustin statues are issued from monumental tombs covered with earth mounds, mostly found in the San Agustin, Isnos, La Argentina, Salado Blanco and La Plata municipalities (department of Huila) and in Moscopan, Aguabonita and Inza (department of Cauca). San Agustin statues are known as “Chinas” in the Colombian Massif. They are big blocks of sculpted in the round volcanic rock. For the most part, the sculptures are oval or roughly rectangular. They measure 30 cm-1.5 m high, 15-80 cm wide and 7-60 cm deep. The most common motif is a human figure with big arms bend over the chest and a face that couples human and feline features: big eyes, wide nose, closed mouth or smiling mouth that shows teeth and feline fangs. Animal representations such as jaguars, monkeys, frogs or eagles are much less frequent. One last feature allowing to identify them is their narrow uncarved base intended to be fastened to the floor.