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 cup dates from 550-650 CE, a time of artistic experimentation in Ulua polychromes. New generations of artists used existing motifs, pigments, and shapes in new ways to create the Santa Rita style. Building off of well-known ceramic traditions, the potters likely sought to use their innovations to signal local identities in a changing social landscape. The geometric pattern on this cup may represent stylized monkey bodies, a common subject in Ulua polychrome designs. Monkeys are important in present-day myths in the Ulua region and may have been featured prominently in earlier stories. The cup was likely made to hold beverages made from cacao, maize, or other local ingredients that were consumed at ritually charged events.