People of the Jaguar

The rim of this plate is decorated with a woven basket design. The motif in the centre represents a mythological bird, a muan-feathered saurian. The creature is a form of the Rain God, a messenger of the Lords of the Underworld. Originally, the plate had three cylinder supports attached to the base.

Painted terracotta
Northern Petén lowlands, Guatemala
Late Classic period, A.D. 600-900
Canadian Museum of Civilization, XXI-A-84