Zoomorphic/supernatural vessel,

300–100 BCE

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. This particular example is rare in form, as it lacks the standard cylindrical chamber. Instead, there is a lipped, circular opening on the back of the figure and a spout-like opening forming the tail. The basic form of this bulbous bowl was mould-made, as indicated by a fine line running axially along the belly and underside of the tail, which fluoresces under UV. The vessel is decorated dramatically with boldly modeled forms and flowing, precise incisions to depict a prone mythical animal with composite reptilian and avian elements. The tightly-formed body closely follows the basic vessel form with the head thrust upward, with rounded eyes trimmed by lashes and thick curving brows, and the snout dominated by the upcurled long upper lip with fangs below. The vessel spout is modeled as a tail that seems avian, while clawed limbs, pressed tightly to the body and the scaly markings flanking the central spout allude to a crocodilian body. Throughout Mesoamerica, crocodilians (as well as turtles) are associated with the terrestrial realm, as they float in still bodies of water (below which lies the underworld) and their faceted, rough backs resemble the craggy, mountainous terrain of Mesoamerica. The angled, upturned snout of this zoomorph later became a diagnostic trait of the Zapotec rain god Cocjio; however, that deity is not depicted in later phases with crocodilian features. The creature here depicted is likely a forerunner of that later deity, yet may embody a wider range of supernatural forces, as also seems to be the case with contemporaneous, large-scale stucco reliefs of zoomorphic faces on Maya pyramid facades (e.g., Uaxactún Structure E-VII-sub). Presumably, the Zapotec pantheon became more populous over time, as artists and religious practitioners refined iconography to call upon more specific entities to ensure particular natural phenomena, such as rain. Although this pose is extremely rare among Zapotec figural vessels, three known, related examples demonstrate it was a type with a long history of use (one excavated at Monte Albán [Caso and Bernal 1952: Fig. 474], which, based on its distinctive dark red clay, may have been an import; one tray-shaped example at the St. Louis Art Museum [Parsons 1980:Cat. No. 221]; and the third, later (Monte Albán IV) example acquired last year by PUAM [2008-368].