Polychrome cylinder vase with enema scene, Late Classic Period, ca. 700 - 900 AD ·  Guatemala, Petén, Maya · ID: 3052983

Description

ceramic, painted in cream-white, red and black, cracks in the vessel wall

Depicted are two men seated in a forward-leaning posture, each holding a drinking vessel in one hand. Behind each man sits a woman holding a “syringe” (enema applicator).

Based on various depictions on classic Maya ceramics, it is well established that the Maya used enemas with intoxicating liquids in a ritual context. The psychoactive substances may have included tobacco juice or alcoholic liquids, such as “octli,” made from a type of agave.

Expertise

Donald M. Hales, Expertise, 1 November 1983, Hermosa Beach, USA

Comparing literature

Hoffmann, Ulrich (Hg.), Frauen des alten Amerika in Kult und Alltag, Stuttgart 2001, p. 200 f.

Notices

This object is subject to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection Act. Export documents are required for export (subjected to a fee).