The Relevance and Perserverance of Ritual Ceramics to Modern Times

Mata Ortiz Pottery Piece

          For our final entry, we decided ‘what better way to end a discussion about the use of Mesoamerican ritual ceramics than to find out how the use of ceramics has survived into modern times.’ Though the multiple rituals that used ceramics mentioned in this blog may not be actively practiced in present time, we found that the concepts of the ceramics have lived on. Some old ceramics are used in present day rituals that are seen in the areas that have developed from Mesoamerica, while other styles lived on to inspire new forms and adaptations.

Statues in a Mayan souvenir shop  

Reverence to the Ceramics of the Past

          Many newly crafted ceramics are influenced by the ceramics that are found within the archeological sites. The influence stemming from the past has affected the ceramics of today; new art is born from a rediscovery of lost cultural information, and a large interest in such discoveries. The ceramic styles are associated with a group and a cultural past, whose descendants find a purpose to use the styles within their world today. They can create similar pieces for informative or commercial reasons.

Budare

Modern Ceramics’ Rituals

           Ceramic rituals persist in today’s world, though they may not be the same events or have the same meaning as previously described . Communities still celebrate events using ceramics, even such as just feasting. Sometimes they find themselves using ritual ceramics that date back to Mesoamerican times; the comal or budare, is still widely used by peoples in Central America. Handed down through generations, this griddle has a place of honor in many Central and South American kitchens amongst iron and steel pots and pans.

So, what have we learned through this journey? Overall, the past use of ceramics within rituals is not only fascinating and insightful to their cultural usages. They were developed and used according to the peoples’ needs and culture: they shed light and knowledge on information that might not have been attainable without ceramics. Even more importantly, Mesoamerican ceramics continue to thrive through the preserving efforts of many and the modern forms it inspires. The ancient Mesoamerican ceramics live on.

Mata Ortiz Pottery Piece

Test YOUR Knowledge!

This post we invite you to test your knowledge of the information thus far. Knowing different ceramic usages and certain significance or symbols to Mesoamerican cultures, can you guess what each of these ceramics were used for? What would you say is the significance of shape or style of the vessels, and what was most likely its purpose? As you scroll through the next few objects, take time to question and really observe elements of the vessels before continuing to scroll down to its caption and meaning below. Good luck!!

Source: Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History by Denis Finnin

Firstly notable is the tripod shape. This vessel was used by nobility for drinking chocolate at feasts and ceremonies. Chocolate, the drink of elites, was typically drank at ceremonies. This Zapotec piece features the God of Dance and Music.

Source- Metropolitan Museum of Art

This piece can be observed as another tripod vessel. This can be associated with Aztec’s, as the headpiece is similar to Aztec deities seen in other motifs. Animals were typically associated with gods, such as birds were associated with celestial or ancestor relations. ¹

Source- De Young, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco

A mosaic handle decorates this knife, and this piece has a lot to take in. One observes the dark chipped away blade, leading to the notion that the blade is of obsidian. It is, and the mosaic tiles (shells and turquoise) that form the handle are held in from anything from wood, ceramics, or resin. This particular one is of resin, with a designed animal mosaic and shape. Possible a bird? It was most likely used in ceremonies and rituals due to its craftsmanship and animal handle. This piece is Mixtec (Aztec).

Source- De Young, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco

This oddly shaped lidded bowl is meant to be a turtle shape. It is Mayan. Mayans believed the turtle to be a symbol of fertility and growth, due to Mayan myths that the world was created from a turtle shell. This dish and others are usually found in tombs and were used as means of offering food to the gods and ancestors during ceremonies.²

Source- Staaltliche Museen zu Berlin, Ethnologisches Museum by Ines Seibt

Here we have another ceramic used in ceremonies and feast. This goblet features serpents painted. It is Cholula-style.³ Such fine goblets were used by elites and rulers, or commonly created as gifts to be given to those visiting. They could take these pieces home with them thus allowing the showing of wealth and power to those visitors homelands.

Source- Metropolitan Museum of Art

This tripod vessel is known as a ceramic brazier. Due to its similar religious architecture of the Aztec at Tenochtitlan, one can assume it was used in religious ceremonies.¹ It was used to make offerings to the Gods, whether that be human or animal remains, or incense or food. The motif on the front is unknown of meaning, though  some suggest it is a date, which would correspond with the new temple building at Tenochtitlan.

Source- Metropolitan Museum of Art

Another noticeable bird, specifically a vulture, this piece is a bit different from the other ceramics. We thought we would make the last one more interesting. This piece comes from the Isla de Sacrificios (Island of Sacrifices), which was found by the Spanish in a conquest and named due to the findings of heart sacrifice victims. The piece fits in with other pieces of ceremony and sacrifice by its brown, red or white bands found on a plain and uncolored background. 

So that is the choices we chose to reflect on. How did you do? Were you able to analyze the piece and form guesses based off of those observations? Were you able to guess usages and symbolism of shapes? We hope so!! This concludes this weeks visual walk through of different ceremony and ritual ceramics.

¹Metropolitan Museum of Art
²de Young Museum of Fine Arts
³The National Endowment for the Humanities

Political, Sacrificial, and Funerary Ceramics

Ceramics held a key importance in the Mesoamerican rituals, as we have seen by the birth and fertility rituals previously discussed. As the child grows, they are exposed to and participate in multiple rituals that interact and relate to their life cycles. Those very rituals – politically based, sacrifices, death and funerary- also incorporate ceramic usage in their own procedures. Through the use of ceramics, the rituals take on a substantive and tangible quality formed from the human imagination due to their man-made creations and interaction.

Political Rituals
 The political aspect of Mesoamerican life involved many demonstrations of power and wealth in front of potential enemies and allies. The Mayans had a tendency to highlight their authority and prowess politically through ritual gift-giving. When foreign dignitaries arrived to Mayan states and sat with the ruling officials, it was customary to provide exquisitely-made eating and drinking vessels for use during the banquet, and then gift the objects to the visitors. The vessels were created by professional artisans, and were ornately decorated with the Mayan language and mythology, enabling the gifted vessel to serve as tangible evidence of the Mayan skills and advancements. The rolled-out image of such a vessel (image 1) incorporates both the language and artistry of the Mayan civilization, and may even depict the very political ritual discussed.


This vase depicts a red-painted palace court building decorated with images of supernatural beings.The kneeling attendant offering the lord a small dish may be the vase's painter; his head is framed by an artist's signature. Two aristocratic men facing the enthroned lord pay homage to the lord and converse with him. One holds a large cylinder vase, like the one on which the painting appears, that likely contains chocolate to be consumed during the feast.( http://archive.archaeology.org/0303/abstracts/mayavase.html)

 

A depiction of an Aztec sacrifice
(http://www.paranormalknowledge.com/articles/aztec-human-sacrifice-rituals.html)

Sacrifices
The Aztecs –one of the best known Mesoamerican groups for their sacrifices- used ceramics within their ceremonial killings. After sacrificing their offerings –by functionary methods (holding down the body and cutting the heart out)- the priests would take the heart, offer it to the sun, and place it within a ceramic bowl held by the statue of the God. The same thing would occur for blood offerings.









Funerary Rituals
The funerary rituals involved the placement and care of the body and their remains with care and respect. Some funerary rights involved the burial and/or the entombment of the body with various goods that would be of use for the afterlife or represented the amount of wealth and stature that the deceased possessed during their lifetime. Other times, the funerary ritual involved the actual placement of the deceased’s remains within funerary vessels for exaltation or for future spiritual contact between the living and the dead. Vessels were made of either a carved jade stone or was detailed ceramic. Mayan vessels ranged from ceramic jars and bowls, to detailed jade urns with depictions of the deceased.

This picture shows a recently found Oxacan funerary vessel -painted in red, yellow, and black- that depicts the portrait of the deceased held inside. The deceased’s name is ‘Tremor8’ (http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/latino-daily-news/details/nearly-intact-1200-year-old-funerary-vessel-identified-in-oaxaca-mexico-tem/20848/) &(http://www.archaeology.org/news/407-130103-maya-atzompa-vessel)



Mayan depiction of a ceramic funerary vase.
 (http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/ceremonial-vessels.htm)

The use of ritual ceramics in these few select rituals contributed to the overall effectiveness and power to the minds of the Mesoamericans. By specializing the ceramics through depiction and skill, the ceramics take on a new context from their secular comparisons –if any-, and become the embodiment of what uses they provided. Whether the source of political statements or the container of offerings and the deceased and their spiritual powers, these pieces were highly regarded and held deep value to their respective societies. 





The Ceramics of Ritual Fertility and Birth: Vessels of Ancient Life

Blood letting ceremony to perpetuate the cycle of life- nga.gov

   Life in Mesoamerica revolved around the many rituals that were incorporated into a person's progression into the stages of life. From birthing and fertility rituals to the coming of age rituals, there were many variations of ceremonies used by the cultural groups that inhabited the Mesoamerican landscape. Rituals and practices differentiated among the groups as well as the use of ceramics in said rituals. First we will look at fertility.

Fig 1. Vessel to catch blood- Mesoweb.com

     The first ritual a Mesoamerican would commonly participate in took place while one was unborn, as the first ritual was generally a fertility ritual. This event usually involved blood-letting -common amongst Mayan Groups- as letting blood demonstrated their 'paid' respect to their gods. Bloodletting for fertility meant showing devotion to their lineage and a wish to continue their family line. Ceramics such as vessels used to catch blood (Fig. 1) were used in conjunction with blood-letters. Ceramics were seen as a direct portal to the gods, therefore by putting the blood offering in the ceramics, it allowed a direct gift to them. Blood-letters, as demonstrated in the hands of the kneeling woman in the carved stone picture at the top of the page, varied in material from jade stone to ceremonial pieces of pottery, such as the one in Fig 2. These pieces served as the first ceramics used in the rituals of fertiltiy, in hope of the god's blessings in human and land re-productiveness and life.

Figure 2. Blood-letter- LACMA.org

     In the Mayan culture, the goddess Ixchel (also known as Chek Chal), was the main deity in charge of fertility and birthing. Offerings were made to her. She was so highly regarded as the Goddess of midwifery, Ixchel had sanctuaries, such as Cozmuel and Isla Muerjes. The sanctuaries were in her honor, and women would go in order to seek favor, fertility, and even gender preferences from oracles given by the sacred statues (Fig 4 & 5). These ceramics and stone statues were greatly adorned with local dressings and offerings. Many have been lost to Spanish explorations unfortunately.

Figure 3. Birth ritual ceramic, used for water during naming ritual- neh.gov

     The next stage in the life of rituals were birth rituals. Following Mayan culture, Ixchel ceramics and stone figurines were placed underneath birthing hammocks to invoke Ixchel's powers and guardianship. This allowed the deity to watch over and protect the birth. In Aztec culture, however, after birth the midwife would perform a series of rituals. The rituals involved ceramic vessels of water, again, the ceramics allowed for ancestral connection via the ceramic. Figure 3 shows a vessel used in such birthing rituals, and is adorned with decorative art showing children participating in a water ritual. The child was bathed in the water of the vessel after birth, and then would receive its name.

     The final ritual for children were coming of age rituals. These rituals were specialized to gender, and varied in ages for each. Boys generally started at 14, and girls started at 12, however girls were not considered fully of age until they gave birth to a child. During childhood, male children would have ceramic beads attached in their hair, and the release of these ceramic ritual objects meant they were an adult. Similarly, women after given birth had their hair washed in ceramic vessels, meaning their completeness into the adulthood. There was also sacrifical blood-letting that symbolized the realeasing of the blood of a child to the now-recognized adult.

     These rituals were incorporated into Mesoamerican life, not only as a stage maker of individual growth, but as a form of cultural recognition and blessing. The various ways in which the rituals were done, whether blood-letting, sacred oracles, or bathing, these rituals helped to physically rectify and demonstrate the physical and mystological changes that came with life changes.

Figure 5. Depiction of Ixchel- vrc.niu.edu

Depiction of Ixchel as the store/midwife goddess from a pre-conquest Mayan manuscript (Dresden Codex). She is the goddess of warfare, midwifery, weaving, rain, fertility, jaguars, and moon and flood phenomena. Typically shown pouring life by bringing water on earth, she is also know for sitting with a fertility rabbit or weaving on a loom.

The following were referenced in the writing of this article-

Codex Mendoza, prepared on the order of Don Antonia de Mendoza. Bodleian Library, MS. Arch. Selden. A. 1, fol. 57r. Annotated by Susan Douglass.

Day, Nancy. Your Travel to Ancient Mayan Civilization (Passport to History). Runestone Press, 2000.

Figure 4. Statue of Ixchel on the Islas Muerjes- Rights reserved to  Sarunas Burdulis

Prologue

Hello Anthropology Enthusiasts! This blog is for the University of Virginia's class, “Ancient Maya, Aztec, Mixtec, and Zapotec: Peoples of Mesoamerica”, headed by Professor Abigail Holeman and Katie Shakour. We, Autumn and Larise, are to select a significant component of Ancient Mesoamerican archeology and present biweekly blogs for the Spring Semester of ‘13 regarding the topic of choice. As you can tell by the title, “Ceramics in Mesoamerica: The Ritual Usage of an Ancient Art”, this blog will take a look at the ceramic remains of past Mesoamerican cultures. We aim to identify and expound upon the potential cultural and/or ritual significance they once served from enlightening readings and articles, from how certain ceramics were made to the way in which they were used in rituals.

Examples of ceramics specifically for ritual uses (Evans 121).

Evans, S. T. Ancient Mexico & Central America. London, England: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2004. Print.

 

 

Ceramics were common tools used in daily life for early Mesoamericans. These ceramics, created in various shapes, sizes, and colors, were utilized for a multitude of things, with certain styles and shapes serving less-secular purposes. They came into use in the Initial and Early Formative period and were slowly incorporated into rituals (Evans 106). Rituals such as fertility or death ceremonies involved various types of ceramics that were incorporated due to their significant shapes, colors, which would have greatly differed from the normal daily-use ceramics. From bowls used to catch ritual blood-lettings to plates and vases used to offer goods to the gods, ceramics played an integral role in many Mesoamericans’ ritual realms. We hope to discover just how these significant ceramics served the Mesoamerican lifestyle of the past, and how the ceramics’ production and function came to serve the cultures’ ritual needs.

 

An example of Conejo Orange-on-White pottery from Etlatongo, with clay that originates from the Olmec site of San Lorenzo, Veracruz.

Rose, Mark. ‘Olmec People, Olmec Art’. Archaeological Institute of America. Mar. 28, 2005. Web. Jan. 31, 2013. http://archive.archaeology.org/online/features/olmec/index.html