Description

Ulua polychrome vessels are ceramics that were created during the Classic and Early Postclassic periods (250-1000 CE) in the Ulua River Valley. These vessels are the careful work of craftspeople who lived in towns and villages nestled throughout the lush, tropical valley. In many households, older artists shared their knowledge of clay sourcing, working, firing, and decorating with new generations. Most Ulua Polychromes are bowls, dishes, or jars that were used to serve food and drink. Although craftspeople borrowed some motifs from the Maya culture to the north, Ulua pottery was a local development that worked to form a shared identity and cosmology across the valley. The vessels served multiple purposes in the social, political, and economic spheres of the Ulua Valley: they were used as gifts, for rituals, during feasts after ball court games, and in household meals.  

This two-handled jar dates from between 650-750 CE and was likely used to serve beverages made from cacao, maize, or other local ingredients. Lake Yojoa is located in the mountains just to the south of the Ulua Valley, and its pottery is well known during this period for the wide range of animals depicted. The animals are thought to mark local mythologies and identities. The design on this jar is characteristic of the Squatting Monkey subclass of Yojoa pottery, which features large images of what might be the local spider monkey species.