Ceremonial cylindrical vessel with two handles, resting on an openwork annular foot. The body of the vase is sculpted in the round with two frontal deities displaying feline features, identifiable by their open jaws and prominent fangs. These figures are integrated into an architectonic composition that includes arcades evoking temple façades or stepped structures, as well as lateral ideograms, among which appears a serpentiform motif possibly associated with the Feathered Serpent deity, Kukulcan. The decoration is framed at the top and bottom by two continuous friezes of serpent scales, sculpted Stone ceremonial vessels from the Ulúa Valley rank among the most prestigious productions of the southern Maya area. Likely used in major elite rituals, they combine divine iconography, architectural symbolism, and mythic animal imagery in compositions of remarkable complexity. The presence of the Feathered Serpent Kukulcan—a major deity associated with fertility, power, and the circulation of cosmic forces— emphasizes the sacred character of the piece. Examples of such vessels have been documented as far as Guatemala, Mexico, and Costa Rica, attesting to the cultural influence and wide-reaching connections of the Ulúa Valley ceremonial centers during the Late Classic and Early Postclassic periods.
Ceremonial vessel
carved travertine
c. 500-1000 CE
Maya culture
Ulúa Valley, Honduras
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