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The Bowl With Anthropomorphic Cacao Tree

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The Mayans, much like the rest of Mesoamerica, were huge proponents of supernatural beings and god-like figures because of their paramount involvement in the creation of the Mayan empire. They played a crucial role in everyday life as well as religious, sacrificial rituals. Therefore, it was not uncommon for artistic expression of ritual portrayals and dedications to the gods to be placed on anything with space for it or of particular significance. The Bowl with Anthropomorphic Cacao Tree, on the surface, is a physical representation of the Mayan cacao tree, but when analyzed closer through studies into the creation story, accompanying glyphs, and imagery closely associated with that of the Maize God, it is a symbolic rendition of the Cacao God and its origins as the Maize God. …show more content…

Many vessels depict scenes of individuals with elite or supernatural status because of Mayan rulers’ high value and importance set upon ancestral lines connecting back to the primordial creation story. The Bowl with Anthropomorphic Cacao Tree, figure 1, originates from an unknown source before arriving at The Dumbarton Oaks collection in Washington D.C. Due to its unknown origin, there is little concretely known about the piece. Researchers have deciphered much of its’ meaning and purpose from its’ exterior wall imagery and glyphs as well as comparisons to written accounts of the story where at the hands of the gods, Mayan society was created. This bowl, carved out of carbonate stone, was developed anywhere between the dates of 400-500

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