About the Object

An unknown Chinesco (Nayarit) artist or group of artisans crafted and painted this ceramic with abstract designs in polychrome (multicolor) paint in positive and negative striped, floral, and wedge motifs. Though a great deal remains unknown about this piece, it may have been used during specific rituals associated with fertility, birth, death, and rebirth.

Additional Information

This vessel is associated with traditions in what are now the Mexican states of Nayarit, Jalisco, and Colima regarding death and the afterlife. Vessels like this may often have been specifically created to accompany a shaft tomb burial.