Pepe

Meet Pepe.   My mother’s older sister and her fairly eccentric (American) inventor husband lived for many years in Mexico City where he did business.  They believed that this heavy (26 lbs) stone 18” high sculpture was an ancient idol, pre-Columbian, rescued from a cave in the state of Guerrero in the SW of Mexico.   It was given to them as partial payment for a job he did,  in the 50s I think.    My Aunt, who had no children,  kept it hidden and mysterious but decided when she was old that I was to have it after she died.    I wasn’t familiar with it until she lived in Arizona near my Mom years later and she brought him out of a trunk where he was kept buried and out of sight,.

Well, who knows what it really is?  We sent photos to an auction house who only said yes it was in the “Guerrero style but not ancient”, and the earrings of copper had to have been added later.  We have looked at a lot of pre-Columbian art in various museums in the world but never saw any quite like this.   It’s similar to those from the Mezcala civilization.   I suppose I’ll try again to discover more about it,  (maybe the antiques roadshow?? :-)  )  but for right now Pepe sits on the stairs in the living room where we can talk to him and admire him, whether he is an ancient water god or not.     This same uncle has many fantastic stories I wish I had written down or taped (I have some) including being the last person to talk with  Amelia Earhart before her fatal flight from Africa., just to characterize him a little.   :-)    


Possible entry to the WBC this week “ jewelry “… for the stone beads (granddaughter Fiona thinks Pepe must be a girl with pearls on) and the copper earrings that may have been a clue to Pepe’s real age.