POTTERY

Object/Artifact

St. Joseph Museums

Name/Title

POTTERY

Entry/Object ID

1983.20.6

Description

MAYAN/ HEAD WITH LARGE HEADRESS/ TAN COLOR/SAME AS 83.20.3

Collection

ETHNOGRAPHIC/MESOAMERICA

Made/Created

Place

Region

Mesoamerica, Central America

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Region

Mesoamerica, Central America

Culture/Tribe

Mayan

Notes

Collected in 1960s by donor while on vacation at Mayan Temple grounds. Dated at the site as 800-900 CE

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Pottery

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Factory

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Industrial Structures

Nomenclature Class

Structures

Nomenclature Category

Category 01: Built Environment Objects

Dimensions

Height

1-1/2 in

Width

2-5/8 in

Length

2-3/4 in

Parts

Count

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Maintenance

Maintenance History

Date

May 30, 2007

Research Notes

Person

Tori Zieger

Notes

This piece of pottery is Mayan in origin. By comparing statues of the Aztec, Toltec, and Mayan statues, researchers can see how fashion changed between civilizations and how deities and important people were depicted. Mayans also had a unique cultural practice from the rest of the Mexican civilizations - they practiced head binding. You can see in these two statues that the heads are slightly misshapen, likely depicting the effects of that modification.