Lid of Bowl with Iguana

c. 600–1100 (Thermoluminescence date, 995–1395)

Costa Rica, Southern Nicoya region

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Medium

ceramic, slip

Measurements

Lid: 29.9 x 38.1 cm (11 3/4 x 15 in.); Lappets: 29.9 x 38.1 cm (11 3/4 x 15 in.)

Credit Line

Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund 1995.72.b

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Location

233 Mesoamerican and Intermediate Region

Did You Know?

Green iguanas can grow to be over 6 feet long.

Description

At the time of the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, Costa Rican mythology linked iguanas to the sky and to rulers. The earlier makers of this vessel left no written records, but they may have had similar beliefs. The lizard poses as though basking in the sun, a celestial body, and assumes an aggressive stance that could be likened to a ruler's: the teeth and chin under the dewlap are displayed, Also, fine ceramics like this were buried in the graves of the high-status dead, some of them certainly leaders of the several groups that competed in the area.