Reproduction, the basis of life and evolution (Mexico)

The female figurines associated with fertility and fecundation rites, with marked sexual characteristics such as large thighs and hips (which represent subcutaneous gluteus-femoral fat deposits) are common and very old, both the so-called European Venuses and the Mexican mujeres bonitas.

The basic principle of evolutionary ecology establishes that during their life cycle individuals need to obtain and distribute the energy available in the environment to stay alive, carry out their daily physical activities and accumulate energy in the form of fat. In the pre-reproductive stage, both sexes need extra energy to grow and mature, and women need additional energy for reproduction.

During the reproductive stage, the energy needs of women greatly increase, firstly to develop descendants with large and costly brains, and later to breastfeed them. Therefore female physiology is designed so that during the first three months of pregnancy fat reserves increase, especially around the gluteus-femoral area and breasts, as these universal figurines show.

Fat reserves physiologically are deposited at the start of pregnancy, and is mobilised first towards the foetus during the last three months –because it needs it to reinforce its own fat reserves and brain development- and later, after delivery, towards the breasts to feed the infant.

Photo, Joaquín Otero Ubeda