01 Photograph Gallery

02 Object Information

Description

Incense burner with lid, Teotihuacan style. The base is biconical or hourglass-shaped. The cover has a large anthropomorphic handle and two protruding handles on each side.

The cover has a seated woman, or female deity, holding a water bird on her lap, which is decorated with a yellow-striped cloth.  According to preliminary studies by ornithologist Claire Dallies (personal communication), the bird has characteristics that identify it with the magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), a species of suliform bird in the Fregatidae family. The woman female deity has a very elaborate headdress with shells, snails and aquatic flowers, as well as “Tláloc” goggles, a characteristic feature of water imagery in Teotihuacán, a large city in central Mexico.

The jewelry consists of a pendant nose ornament, earflares, necklace and wristbands. She is bare-chested, but wears what could be a small beaded or rhinestone cape.

* Donation by Mr. Héctor Santamarina Herrera

* Pacific Coast of Guatemala, around Tiquisate and La Gomera, Escuintla.

Period

CLASSIC (150/200 A.D.-900 A.D.) Early Classic (150/200- 650 AD).

Provenance

Pacific Coast of Guatemala

Medium / Material

Clay

Technique

Appliqué / application, Modeled, Molded, Painting, Punctate, Worked

Dimensions

Total height: (a y b): 86.5 cm
Height “a”: 62 cm; Width: “a”: 36 cm
Diameter: “a”: 36.5 cm
Height: “b”: 24.5 cm; Diameter “b”: 33.5 cm

03 References and Exhibitions

References to similar objects

Similar objects have been found on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala, especially in the area of ​​Tiquisate and La Gomera, Escuintla, dating for the Early Classic period, especially from 350 – 550 A.D. (Reents-Budet; Headrick and Bishop, 2017).

Bove, Frederick J. 2000. Teotihuacan y la Costa del Pacífico de Guatemala: La ideología de estructura política. En XIII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 1999 (editado por J.P. Laporte, H. Escobedo, B. Arroyo y A.C. de Suasnávar), pp.117-131. Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala (versión digital).

Reents-Budet, Dorie; Annabeth Headrick and Ronald Bishop. 2017. “Entangled Ideologies on the Pacific Coast: the Teotihuacan-style Maya censers from the Department of Escuintla, Guatemala”. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2017 ( tDAR id: 431290)

Exhibitions

1. “TREASURES OF THE MAYA SPIRIT”. LA Art & Antique Show. LA Convention Center, California (enero 4 al 9, 2014)

2. “TREASURES OF THE MAYAN SPIRIT”. Interbanco Art Gallery, Quetzaltenango (September 8 – November 10, 2014)

3. “TREASURES OF THE MAYAN SPIRIT THROUGH TIME.” ARTECENTRO Graciela Andrade de Paiz, Historic Center, Guatemala City (May 21 – October 19, 2015)

4.”THE HUMAN FIGURE AND PRE-COLUMBIAN BODY DECORATION”. Spanish Cooperation Training Center, Antigua Guatemala (August 25, 2016- February 26, 2017)

5. Piece exhibited in the lobby of the Hyatt Centric Guatemala Hotel from August 2017 to October 7, 2020

6. “MASTERPIECES OF THE PRE-COLUMBIAN ARTIST”. La Ruta Maya Foundation, Guatemala City (as of November 6, 2024)

7. “MASTERWORKS BY THE PRE-COLUMBIAN ARTIST.” La Ruta Maya Foundation, Guatemala City (November 6, 2024 to May 31st, 2025)

8. “THE WORLD TREE” (24th Paiz Art Biennial) within the “SELF-HYBRIDATIONS” exhibition by ORLAN. Spanish Cooperation Training Center, Antigua Guatemala (November 5, 2025 to February 15, 2026). General Curator: Eugenio Viola.

Publications