Spoon Pendant

900–400 BCE (initial fabrication); 100–300 CE (Maya inscription)
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This spoon-shaped object was originally a high-status implement—for weaving, bloodletting rituals, or the ingestion of hallucinogens—later converted to a pendant. The partially deciphered Mayan inscription records the owner’s title as "divine lord."



Este colgante en forma de cuchara, originalmente un utensilio utilizado por personajes de alto rango, era destinado al tejido, a ritos sacrificiales o al consumo de alucinógenos. Luego fue convertido en un colgante. Las inscripciones mayas parcialmente descifradas convalidan el título de "Señor divino".

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Spoon Pendant
  • Date: 900–400 BCE (initial fabrication); 100–300 CE (Maya inscription)
  • Geography: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, or Honduras; Costa Rica, Guanacaste Province
  • Culture: Olmec and Maya
  • Medium: Jadeite
  • Dimensions: H. 2 × W. 7 3/16 x D. 1/2 in. (5.2 × 18.5 cm)
  • Classification: Stone-Implements
  • Credit Line: Colección Museo del Jade y de la Cultura Precolombina, San José (6726 INS)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing