Incised bowl,

250–600 CE

Hybrid vessels like these were common during the Early Classic period, when Maya lords celebrated their ties, real or imagined, to the great central Mexican metropolis of Teotihuacan through artistic emulation. The taller vessel, painted with stucco after firing, implements artistic techniques associated with Teotihuacan to depict imagery connected to the distant city. Similarly, the black ceramic bowl includes another Teotihuacan decorative method, known as plano-relief carving. The process involves scraping the surface of a leather-hard vessel to outline forms and roughen the negative space around them. After firing, pigment rubbed into these recessed areas provides contrast to the primary design.