Monkey jar with spout

Dateca. AD 250–550

MediumCeramic

Dimensions3 3/4 x 5 1/2 inches (9.5 x 14 cm)

CultureMaya (Mexico)

ClassificationsCeramics

Credit LineAcquired through the Museum Associates Purchase Fund

Terms

Campeche
Ceramics
Ceramic
Monkeys
chocolate
Maya

Object number76.016.001

Label CopyWHERE WAS IT MADE? This jar was made in the upper part of Central America. The Maya civilization extended over a large area, including parts of present day Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. HOW WAS IT MADE? This vessel was hand built with the coil method. In this method, a base is made by shaping clay into a flat disc. Then hand formed coils of clay, like ropes, are successively added to one another, building up the walls of the bowl. A tool such as a wooden paddle is used to smooth the sides both inside and out, leaving no trace of the coils. The spout was attached separately. Before the bowl was fired, the exterior was painted with a white slip. Slip paint is made by mixing different-colored clays or ground mineral pigments with water. The incised lines that create the images of the monkeys were made by pressing into the still-pliable clay with a sharp stylus. Then the vessel was fired in an earthen pit to harden it. HOW WAS IT USED? The shape of this vessel is characteristic of “chocolate pots” and was probably used to serve a beverage made from cacao. We know from Maya paintings that ceramic vessels with tall spouts were used to prepare a cocoa (or chocolate)-based beverage made from cacao beans. Cacao was widely used and traded in Mesoamerica and was extremely valuable; its use was restricted to upper class elites, who were the only ones who could afford to consume such an expensive beverage. Specialized pottery connected with the use of chocolate began by 600 BC and continued until the time of the Spanish Conquest. Chocolate drinks were prepared by mixing ground cacao beans with other substances such as water, honey, achiote, maize (corn), or chili peppers, and then pouring the beverage from one container into another, often from a great height, to produce a large amount of froth or foam, which was considered the most desirable part of the drink by both the Maya and the Aztec people. Small open bowls were most often used to serve chocolate drinks, although preparation of the drink was usually done in tall, narrow vases or jars. Notice the tall, straw-like spout on this vessel. It may have been used to blow froth into the drink and/or to sip it. WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE THIS? Notice the incised designs of three monkeys holding cacao pods. Monkeys are associated with agriculture and fertility, and because of their similarities to people, are sometimes depicted engaging in human-like activities, even in warfare. Some cultures see monkeys as the embodiment of ancestor spirits, but they are commonly hunted for food in the tropical lowlands where they are common. It is likely that monkeys were traded and kept as pets, which would account for their presence in the art of people far outside their normal range.

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