Cylindrical ceramic urn with everted rim, straight walls, flat base, and pedestal support. The surface features punctate decoration and applied moldings on both the upper rim and the base, framing the overall composition.

The central motif is a feline head, probably that of a jaguar, crafted using modeling and appliqué techniques. Its open eyes, with rod-shaped irises, evoke its supernatural nature. Slightly parted jaws reveal prominent teeth and fangs, while rounded ears reinforce its feline identity. In Maya cosmology, the jaguar is closely associated with power, the night, and the underworld.

On either side of the head, four vertical columns of conical spikes are arranged, resembling the thorns of a young ceiba trunk. The ceiba (Ceiba pentandra) represents the World Tree, planted at the center of the earth and connecting the three levels of the universe. Even today, resting under the shade of a ceiba is considered auspicious, as it serves as a channel of communication between the earthly realm, the sky, and the underworld.

For this reason, the urn may have held a ritual function. Conceived as a funerary container, it reflects the aesthetic and symbolic complexity of Pre-Columbian ceremonial objects.

*Quiché region, Highlands of Guatemala

*Voluntary donation by Mr. Robert Stoetzer (2005)

Height: 26.5 cm.
Diameter: 33 cm.

1. “Maya Art and Nature Through Time.” David J. Guzmán National Museum of Anthropology, El Salvador (February 26–May 24, 2009)

2. “The Paabanc: Reaffirming Our Beliefs.” La Pradera Shopping Center, Zone 10, Guatemala City (September 8–22, 2011)

3. “The Power of the Jaguar in the Mayan Universe.” Design Center, Guatemala City (January 30–February 28, 2013)

4. “Fauna of the Mayan World.” Interbanco Art Gallery. Quetzaltenango (September 10 – October 31, 2013)

5. Financiera de Occidente (November 2016 – July 2017)

6. “Pre-Columbian Biodiversity: The Mysteries of the Jungle.” Spanish Cooperation Training Center, Antigua Guatemala (August 17, 2017 – February 25, 2018)

7. Seguros de Occidente (February – December 4, 2018)

8. Library of the CIT Building, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (Special Collections Section). June 3–23, 2021

9. “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.

Exhibition Catalog “Mayan Art and Nature Through Time.” 2009. Fundación Empresarial para la Acción Social (FUNDEMAS). Antiguo Cuscatlán, El Salvador