Vessel with Codex-Style Scene, 1350–1500

This vessel reproduces—in both form and design—the fundamental concepts of Mesoamerican land and lineage: a mountain atop a cave, through which flow the primordial waters of creation. Painted with remarkable artistry, this vase depicts a supernatural scene that envelopes its entire surface, including the base. The complex scene relates a story of creation, principally the birth of a yellow-haired culture hero and his subsequent ensoulment in a baptismal water rite. The narrative begins with two creator deities who converse in a stylized mountain within a personified cave. The fanged maw of the cave curls to open on the base of the vessel.