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Vessel with Maize God myths
Not on view
Some vessels were painted in a simple style, depicting the ribald antics of divinities. Here, a group of young gods—one holding a blowgun—watches as the Maize God frolics with two naked women in a pool of water. The god’s amorous encounters were seen as temptations, moral failures that ultimately resulted in his death but also rebirth. On the opposite side of the vessel, a paddler begins the journey across water that marked the god’s mortuary transit.
Vasija con mitos del dios del maíz
Sur de México, Guatemala, Honduras o Belice
Siglo VII al IX
Cerámica, pigmento
Algunas vasijas pintadas de manera sencilla muestran las travesuras primordiales de las divinidades. Aquí, un grupo de deidades jóvenes –uno de ellos con una cerbatana– observa al dios del maíz jugueteando con dos mujeres desnudas en una poza. Los encuentros amorosos de los dioses se consideraban tentaciones, faltas morales que tarde o temprano provocaban su muerte, pero también su resurrección. En el lado izquierdo de esta escena, un remero inicia el viaje acuático que marcaba el tránsito fúnebre del dios.
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