Cylinder vessel with 'trumpet' base,

800–1100

Orangeware vessels of a few distinct types are widely distributed in the Maya area beginning in the ninth century, completely replacing the famed polychrome cylinders of the Classic period in the era of the so-called Maya collapse of the Southern Maya lowlands. This type of vessel, known as Silho orange, was particularly prevalent in the Northern Maya Lowlands, which in fact enjoyed a great florescence in this era, especially along the Puuc Hills of northern Campeche and western Yucatan. The type’s distribution also extends beyond the Maya area, along the coast of Veracruz and in a corridor of the altiplano that runs from Tehuacán to Cholula and Teotihuacan (Matheny 1970; Fähmel Beyer 1988). Debate regarding these vessels remains intense: some claim them evidence of influence from Central Mexico (along the reverse of the path noted above); some claim origin for nearly all of these forms in Tabasco with the Putun Maya, who are claimed to have taken over trade routes left available by the Maya collapse; others suggest they are of local manufacture but reflect shifts in religion and ceremony. Of course, some combination of these theories is also possible.