Maya culture
GuatemalaMonkey Vessel, 1800 BCE – 250 CE
On view
Earthenware
Dimensions4 3/4 × 5 5/16 × 10 5/8 in. (12.1 × 13.5 × 27 cm)
Gift of Robert Drapkin, 2006.105
Monkeys were revered for their connection to the heavens. They could effortlessly come and go between the ground and the highest point of the rain forest, whereas mankind was earthbound. By living close to the heavens, monkeys reaffirmed their status as ancestors who merited respect.
