Atole Cup with Maize and Water Imagery

Atole Cup with Maize and Water Imagery

A.D. 650-850
Culture
Maya
Locale
Petén
Country
Guatemala
Style/Tradition
Maya
Object
bowl
Medium
Earthenware with red and black slip paint.
Accession Number
1993.125
Credit Line
Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer
Atole Cup with Maize and Water Imagery. A.D. 650-850. Earthenware with red and black slip paint.. Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer. 1993.125.
Dimensions
height: 3 in, 7.6200 cm; diameter: 8.25 in, 20.9550 cm
Department
Mayer Center, Arts of the Ancient Americas
Collection
Arts of the Ancient Americas

Atole Cup with Maize and Water Imagery
Maya
About A.D. 650-850
Guatemala, Petén
Earthenware with black and red slip paint.
Gift of the Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer; 1993.125

This vessel, a low dish with slightly flaring sides, was once used to consume maize gruel, or atole. This is confirmed by the hieroglyphic passage that encircles it, formed of six glyph blocks divided into two sections of three glyphs each. Beginning with the hieroglyph that includes a round circle with five dots within it (the syllable "bi"), the inscription reads "yuk'ib ta ul" (his drinking vessel for atole). The third through sixth glyph blocks name the vessel's owner as "K'uhul Chatahn Winik Sak Wayis," this title is commonly encountered in inscriptions in northern Guatemala, claimed by high-ranking but subsidiary lords.

The rest of the vessel's symbolism references the mythical story of the maize god, who, planted in the earth after his death, was reborn from water in a youthful, luxuriant, bejeweled form (see 1983.362). The supernatural faces on either side of the vessel, flanked by flowing vegetation, are likely maize plants or maize kernels. Inside the vessel the artist has painted a single hieroglyph that reads Wu H'a Nal, or "7 Water Place." This mythical locale was believed to be the place of the maize god's resurrection. Its watery nature is emphasized by the motifs on the interior walls of the vessel, which take the form of scrolling mist and "water-stacks." The bottom of the vessel is painted with a 7-Ajaw glyph, a calendric date that appears to specify when the maize god was reborn.

Similar imagery is encountered on another vessel in the DAM's collection (1994.1). Comparing the interiors of the two vessels, one can easily see that the former was used during its lifetime. The so-called "use wear" seen on its interior is the result of the vessel being filled and emptied, scraped, stirred, and used by its owner. The nearly pristine state of the latter, on the other hand, suggests that it was made as a burial offering and never used.

-Lucia R. Henderson, 2016 (in consultation with David Stuart)

Known Provenance
Gifted 30 September 1993 by the Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer to the Denver Art Museum. Provenance research is on-going at the Denver Art Museum. Please e-mail provenance@denverartmuseum.org, if you have questions, or if you have additional information to share with us

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