Selected Works (Click to view larger)
Lidded vessel with the Sun God paddling across the aquatic floral road
This vessel portrays the Sun God paddling a canoe across a body of water, with fish in oval cartouches below on both sides. Horizontal “daisy chains” of blossoms encircling both the lid and bowl denote the flower road of the sun. The contemporary Tzotzil Maya of southern Mexico believe the dawning sun rises on a celestial path lined with blossoms. The Sun God is fishing as well as paddling—as evidenced by his catch on his back—to conjure rain.
Chocolate frothing pot in the shape of a shell
Discovered on an island, this shell-shaped pot held chocolate drinks. Slipped white on the exterior with a vivid red interior, its color scheme emulates certain mollusks. Drinkers blew into the short spout to aerate the beverage and then consumed the prized froth. A complex design incised on the side may represent the snout and head of the snakelike creature thought to live within.
Cache vessel with directional shells and jades
This vessel contains an elaborate cache offering that denotes directional symbolism in the Maya world. At the center is a statuette of the Maize God wearing a headdress, set within a large Spondylus shell. It is surrounded by four smaller shells containing jade beads and four jade carvings situated between the shells. The cache is a cosmic diagram portraying the Maize God as the pivotal center of the world, with cardinal and intercardinal points radiating outward.
Sculpture of a deity with characteristics of the Sun God
The Maya revered both objects obtained from the sea and materials transported over the sea, such as jade. Jade arrived in Maya centers via the sea and bore associations with that sacred domain. This head, the largest work of art in jade from the Maya world, depicts a deity with characteristics of the Sun God. It is made from stone quarried in the Motagua River Valley in western Guatemala and was probably transported north by canoe. The polished green surface of this sculpture suggests the blue-green waters of the Caribbean.
Vessel with the face of an old man
This vessel was made in coastal Pacific Guatemala specifically for trade. Examples have been found in coastal and island sites around the Yucutan Peninsula. It depicts the face of a gap-toothed old man who may represent a supernatural being of wisdom and power. The highly burnished surface imitates the appearance of metal, which also came to coastal Maya sites from other parts of Mesoamerica.
Navigating The Cosmos
Overview
The spiritual and physical realms of the sea were not distinct. The Maya navigated canoes through the cosmic world as well as along rivers and coasts. In this section, the representations of canoes modeled in clay, chased into gold, and painted on ceramic signify supernatural journeys and connections to sacred power. Products of the sea regularly became tribute to rulers of the great Maya cities. The sea is presented here as a source of luxury goods, the locus of mythic battles, and a destination for noble pilgrimages to secure power.
