Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

This vessel is said to have been found in Las Bocas, an archaeological site in the state of Puebla to which a high number of ceramics have been attributed. It is part of a group of finely made containers in the form of animals, ducks, fish, badgers, opossum and more from the Central Mexican Highlands that have been associated with Olmec culture or influence in that area. In this example, the animal’s body makes up the entirety of the vessel. Other examples have a smaller animal form located at the top of the vessel.

While the meaning of these vessels is not fully understood, it is believed that they refer to the supernatural world and the role of shamans. If the animal depicted is an opossum it is possible that it refers to old age or was associated with pulque, an alcoholic beverage made from the agave plant, as was true in the later Classic period.