Carved Bowl, 1200-300 BC. Containers made of translucent white travertine, known among the later Aztecs as tecali , are rare in Olmec artistic production. The shape of this elegant example, its rim pinched inward at the center, may refer to a squash. The meaning of the deeply carved abstract motifs, which retain traces of red pigment, is unknown. The bowl is said to have been found in a burial cache that included an Olmec figurine, a hematite mirror, and jade ornaments in Guerrero, Mexico.

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Size: 6648px × 4328px
Photo credit: © Heritage Art/Heritage Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 1200-300, art, bc, cleveland, formative, guerrero, heritage, mesoamerica, museum, olmec, period, reportedly, river, stone, style, tepecoacuilco, travertine, unknown, valley