Uk’ib (drinking vessel) depicting a palace scene,

600–800

Although they may seem an odd couple to Western viewers, the pairing of a young woman and a rabbit, as seen in the painted scene on this chocolate-drinking cup and modeled in clay as a double figurine, made perfect sense to the ancient Maya. Where Westerners see the face of a man in the moon, the people of Mesoamerica saw a rabbit. The young woman is the Maya moon goddess, who was associated with women’s procreative powers, probably due to the parallel time frames of lunar and menstrual cycles. The ceramic figurine’s front half was produced in a mold, with modeled rabbit ears added after firing. The current rabbit ears, however, are modern restorations. Note that the moon goddess’s dress on the drinking cup is similar to the one worn by the ceramic figure to the left. Might she, too, be the moon goddess?