‘Host’ figurines

Actually what these represent in the consciousness that exist in each part of the body. Like a little person each part of the body has it’s own consciousness that in some ways can be represented as little indwelling spirit, or person

I’ve lived in Arizona all my life. My grandmother had a big collection of Metates, which I now own (why I am on this site today). Very interesting site! As to the “host” figure: To me, it represents a rebirth figure. When I was a child, I read a book of Mexican fairy/folk tales. In it, the secret to the wealth of a cattle rancher was discovered: after his cattle were slaughtered, they would be reborn again as cattle. I have never run into this concept again. Could the Nahual have believed in reincarnation? I know the border between the worlds of life and death is more permeable in some areas of Latin America. Today is Day of the Dead, which you probably address somewhere here. It’s such a part of SW culture that even the white residents honor it, or attend events. In Tucson, Arizona, there is a Day of the Dead costume parade, with many representations of skeleton people, and La Catarina. Our Botanical Garden in Phoenix/Tempe area had a parade the other night and ofrendas, or altars, to deceased relatives. These are common in Mexico, where the altars are decorated with photos, favorite items, perhaps tequila, fancy candy skulls, etc. The skulls and skeleton people are often set in comical tableaux, as if to laugh at death. La Catarina is a finely dressed lady who is also dead-- kind of a memento mori joke, there. In Guanajuato, MX, there is a display of mummies in a hillside catacomb. [I could give more details]. Gruesome but perhaps a melding of the Catholic display of “relics” and the Aztec death fixation.

I believe the smaller images are “older” gods and the bigger ones are the “newer” gods. Kind of how many Catholic saints are representations of the ancient gods in Mexico.

I’m not sure that these are depicting nahuals (at least not these images). Isn’t a nahual an animal-spirit that has a connection with a person, and lives in the world that mirrors our world (underworld?)?
I’d be curious to see those figurines that do contain more animal-like figures.