Pre-Columbian Mayan Bowl
- Item No.
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Item Details
- Height:
5" Inches - Diameter:
5" Inches - Period:
Pre-18th Century - Origin:
America
This lovely Late Classic Maya bowl is executed in El Copador style, a polychrome ceramic style found primarily at archaeological sites in western El Salvador. These bowls were import items from the Mayan ceremonial center of Copan in Guatemala and convey images of Maya elites and of Maya esoteric knowledge in the form of pseudo-glyphs and references to mythology. This particular bowl almost certainly represents the mythical Maya hero twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, swimming through the underworld of Xibalba on a heroic quest.
Fine Maya imports, such as this bowl, along with jades and obsidian items were status enhancing symbols for the Maya chiefly class as well as the rising elites of Middle to Late Classic El Salvador. Bowls such as this one were able to bolster prestige and power as symbols that associated foreign tributaries with the Maya center of Copan to the north. These prestigious items facilitated the rise of Salvadoran elites and helped to reinforce their status and create social distance through claims of affiliation to Copan. The ownership of a bowl such as this also helped in the establishment of prestigious contacts and was a symbol of political alliance to the important center of Copan. This in turn worked to continuously enhance the status of Salvadoran chiefs and became important in their maintenance of power.
Circa, 600-900 AD
Height: 5"
Diameter: 5"
Fine Maya imports, such as this bowl, along with jades and obsidian items were status enhancing symbols for the Maya chiefly class as well as the rising elites of Middle to Late Classic El Salvador. Bowls such as this one were able to bolster prestige and power as symbols that associated foreign tributaries with the Maya center of Copan to the north. These prestigious items facilitated the rise of Salvadoran elites and helped to reinforce their status and create social distance through claims of affiliation to Copan. The ownership of a bowl such as this also helped in the establishment of prestigious contacts and was a symbol of political alliance to the important center of Copan. This in turn worked to continuously enhance the status of Salvadoran chiefs and became important in their maintenance of power.
Circa, 600-900 AD
Height: 5"
Diameter: 5"
