Mesoamerica - The Maya: Gods, Myths and Ceramics (Part 1)

Journey into the extraordinary world of the Classic Maya, where ceramics were far more than objects for everyday use; they were vessels for food, status, storytelling, ritual and belief.

Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh explore the golden age of Maya ceramics, discovering how skilled potters created sophisticated hand-built vessels without the potter’s wheel. From humble cooking pots used to prepare maize to beautifully painted polychrome vessels and prized cacao cups, ceramics offer a remarkable window into Maya life.

They uncover the profound relationship between food and mythology, including the Maya creation story in which the first humans were made from corn, and explore how gods, rulers and ancient stories were painted across the surfaces of pots. They also enter the dramatic world of the Maya ball game, where sport, political power, sacrifice and the struggle between life and death became intertwined.

Beautiful, complex and sometimes unsettling, these surviving ceramics allow us to glimpse a civilisation in which the everyday and the sacred were inseparable – and where a simple clay vessel could tell the story of the cosmos.

Featured Artworks:

Map of Mesoamerica

Map of Mesoamerica, Wikipedia, Public Domain

Vessel Depicting a Sacrificial Ceremony for a Royal Accession, ca. 750–800 CE, Maya. Public Domain, Art Institute of Chicago

Cylindrical Vessel, 6th–9th century, Maya. The The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain

Tripod Bird Bowl, 3rd–4th century, Maya. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Pubic Domain

Death of Penthesilia, ca. 540–530 BCE.

Mayan Kitchen Fresco, Preparing Cacao, Maya.

Plate with the God Chahk, 600–800 CE, Maya artist(s). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain

Maya Ceramic Bowl Offering of Tamales to the Gods, Creative Commons, Public Domain

Jomon Pot, Late Jomon Period, 2500–1000 BCE, creative commons, public domain

Olla-Shape Pottery, 21st century, earthenware, Mexico

Plate with Trumpeter, 700–800 CE, Maya. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain

Pinchancha, 21st century, earthenware, Zacualpan, Guerrero, Mexico.

Maya Tripod Plate, Late Classic period, ca. 550–950 CE, Maya, public domain

Tripod Plate, Maya. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Pubilc Domain

Model of the Various Structures that Make Up the Pyramid of Cholula.

Whistle with the Maize God Emerging from a Flower, 600–900 CE, Maya artist(s). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain

Mural Depicting the Maize God, Maya. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maya_maize_god.jpg

Freshly Fired Comales Cooling, 21st century, earthenware, San Mateo Mixtepec, Mexico.

Tetrapod Bowl, 1st–4th century, Maya. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain

Vessel with Mythological Scene, 600–800 CE, Metropolitan Painter. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain

Vessel Depicting the Rain God Chahk, ca. 600–800 CE, Maya.

Facsimile of the Madrid Codex. Museum of the Americas, Public Domain

Lidded Vessel, 3rd–4th century, Maya. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, public domain

Itzamna Seated in a Classic Period Polychrome Ceramic (Kerr 504), Maya, public domain https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:God_D_Itzam.jpg

Ixchel with Rabbit, Maya, Public Domain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Moon_Goddess#/media/File:Goddess_O_Ixchel.jpg

Codex-Style Plate Featuring the Maize God and the Hero Twins, 680–740 CE, Maya, El Petén, Guatemala. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Public Domain

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