Gift of Alastair B. Martin

This Maya effigy vessel depicts the head and torso of a hunchback human figure wearing a full jaguar-skin costume. Small teeth are visible near the fangs, and hands appear above the paws. Hunchbacks and dwarves were highly respected among the Maya, frequently serving as attendants to rulers. Like the jaguar-skinned dancers depicted on cylindrical vessels, this figure may be impersonating the God of the Underworld, with the scarf around his neck symbolizing human sacrifice and death.


Esta vasija efigie Maya representa la cabeza y torso de una figura humana jorobada vestida completamente con la piel de un jaguar. Pequeños dientes son visibles al lado de los colmillos, y manos aparecen sobre las garras. Los jorobados y enanos eran muy respetados entre los Maya, frecuentemente sirviendo como asistentes de los gobernantes. Como los danzantes vestidos con piel de jaguar representados en vasijas cilíndricas, esta figura puede estar imitando al Dios del Inframundo, con el pañuelo alrededor de su cuello simbolizando sacrificio humano y muerte.

Gift of Ernest E. Erickson

A. Augustus Healy Fund

Gift of Alastair B. Martin

Gift of Esther Pasztory

Long off-white piece of fabric with alternating rows of woven-in design - five rows of rectangles then 1 row of animals and humans, and designs possibly representing temples (but unknown).

Black hand woven semi-transparent fabric with green and white vertical stripes running the length of fabric. Stripes vary in width and weaving pattern. Green stripes alternate between plain stripes and stripes with a repeating pattern of long rectangles interspersed with a series of three squares filled with alternating green and black diagonal lines. Black stripes bordered on each side by four white stripes also have the pattern of rectangles and three squares filled with diagonal lines woven into the cloth. There are three sections that have 3 plain white stripes beside one stripe of black, grey, and white with a woven pattern of repeating rectangles: plain rectangles alternating with rectangles with a woven zigzag pattern that is visible only on the right side of the fabric.

Two long identical rectangular panels of hand woven cloth sewn together at vertical centre with a broad stripe of embroidery with a repeated pattern of rectangles. Rectangular panels have vertical stripes of various widths of alternating red; green and brown; red, green and black; then red, green and white on outside edges. There is also one stripe on each side of centre that is orange with a centre of alternating black and white squares. Bottom edge loosely hemmed with brown thread.

Black hand woven cotton fabric with pattern of alternating broad and narrow vertical stripes woven into the cloth. Texture of woven stripes makes broader stripes appear to be a slightly lighter black, but actually a uniform colour.