Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900.
Red-rimmed, black-on-cream ceramic.
Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (22)
Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates
Vessel with Maya Scribes
The decorations on this vessel, from the heartland of Maya civilization in Northern Guatemala, are of a limited palette (red, black, and cream) and reflect a scribal theme. Writing was often used for solemn and sacred tasks, such as recording history, accounting for tributes, and writing of prayers and auguries. The figures on the vessel are a human scribe and Itzam, the god and patron of writing. The decipherable glyphs confirm who the figures on the vessel are and their stature.