In still another gallery I was attracted to a reproduction of the Colima
Dancing Dogs. As the knowledgeable gallery owner, Alex, explained to me,
showing catalogues and pictures, these hollow ceramic joined-dogs are the
oldest canine figures found in North America. They were made in the period
from the time before Christ until several centuries later. The dog ceramics
were put in the shaft tombs next to the deceased so as to guide his soul
into the journey through the Underworld to the Upper World. “You see, our
dogs performed the function that cats were to provide for the Egyptian
Pharaohs in their tombs,” Alex said. I bought the replica of one of these
Colima joined-dogs ceramics for myself, just as insurance.