Vessel in the form of a crouching human impersonating a supernatural,

550–850 CE

Ceramic 'urns,' typically with upright, cylindrical chambers and figural modeling on the exterior, are among the best known and most compelling classes of portable Zapotec art. Such urns were placed in thematic groups within tombs and, occasionally, before small altars. Given that no residue has been found within any of the hundreds of known examples, it seems they either held water or no substance at all. This particular example is rare in form, as it lacks the standard cylindrical chamber. Instead, there is a small circular opening on the back of an anthropomorphic figure. This person (identifiable as such by his overall proportions and the shape of his appendages) takes on the guise of the most important Zapotec deity - Cocijo, the god of lightning and, by extension, a primary rain deity. Cocijo is easily recognized by his large, angular snout and details of eye treatment. The human figure also dons a curious 'tail;' fine incised lines indicate it was attached around the human's waist. The figure also sports beaded jewelry around his neck and wrists. Unique to this particular work, the figure seems to have a mohawk-like hairdo - possibly referencing the crest of some bird. Although this pose is rare, three examples from earlier phases of Zapotec art demonstrate it was a type with a long history of use (one excavated at Monte Albán [Caso and Bernal 1952: Fig. 474]; one in the Peter Hirsch collection [Caso, Bernal, and Acosta 1967:Fig. 112a]; and one tray-shaped example at the St. Louis Art Museum [Parsons 1980:Cat. No. 221]. The particular treatment of the Cocijo visage places the object stylistically in a late phase of Zapotec chronology, Monte Albán IV, near the close of the Late Classic period.