Lidded Cache vessel

Lidded Cache vessel

A.D. 250-600
Culture
Maya
Country
Guatemala
Object
vessel
Medium
Earthenware with colored slips and pigments
Accession Number
1998.423A-B
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. M. Larry and Nancy B. Ottis
Lidded Cache vessel. A.D. 250-600. Earthenware with colored slips and pigments. Gift of Dr. M. Larry and Nancy B. Ottis. 1998.423A-B.
Dimensions
height: 11 1/8 in, 28.2575 cm; width: 12 1/4 in, 31.1150 cm
Department
Mayer Center, Arts of the Ancient Americas
Collection
Arts of the Ancient Americas

Lidded Cache Vessel
Maya
About A.D. 250–600
Guatemala
Earthenware with pigments
Gift of Dr. M. Larry and Nancy B. Ottis, 1998.423A&B

Cache vessels containing sacred offering materials (such as shell, jade and incense) were interred in the course of building dedication rituals.  The large lower face is that of a deity, indicated by the scrolled eyes and central shark tooth fang. The upper face (another supernatural being) has a skeletal jaw and wears a symbol of sacrificial bloodletting on the forehead.