Theater-Type Incensario – Teotihuacan Style
Polychrome ceramic | Pacific Coast of Guatemala (Tiquisate and La Gomera, Escuintla)
Ceremonial incensario with pedestal base and decorated lid, crafted in polychrome clay in shades of yellow, green, light blue, white, and pink. The lid features a warrior whose face is painted red and whose eyes are almond-shaped. He wears a large butterfly-shaped nose ornament which, though abstract in form, showcases a pierced design that reflects Maya innovation.
The upper part of the headdress is crowned by a supernatural butterfly at the center, surrounded by smaller butterfly motifs, while the lower frame includes three glyphs bordered by fringes or feathers. In Mesoamerican iconography, the butterfly is a symbol closely associated with warfare.
Most features of this piece follow the Teotihuacan canon of “sacred war” incensarios. The warrior holds side panels that serve as metaphors for atl-tlachinolli (“water-fire”), a symbol of ritual conflict. These panels are adorned with Maya-style divinatory mirrors, highlighting cultural fusion. The lower rectangle displays three detailed representations of the Teotihuacan “reptilian eye” motif, linked to state ideology—a rare element in incensarios from Guatemala’s Pacific coast.
*Piece voluntarily donated by Mr. Héctor Santamarina Herrera
