Urn with jaguars and skulls: A 1,400-year-old burial container depicting a deceased ruler's arrival to the Maya underworld
This 1,400-year-old Maya urn features skulls, underworld gods, and a deceased ancestor dressed like a jaguar.
A 1,400-year-old burial urn discovered in Guatemala depicts a person accompanied by skulls as they arrive in the Maya underworld, according to The Walters Art Museum. The colorful ceramic urn, made by the K'iche' Maya people, is about 17.5 inches (44.5 centimeters) tall and once held the bones of an ancestor for veneration by their descendants.
The urn's centerpiece features a figure in a jaguar costume, splashed with blood, looking out at the viewer. This individual may represent a deceased ruler entering the realm of the dead, symbolized by human skulls and Maya underworld gods. The depiction of the kapok tree, believed to connect the three realms for the Maya, further emphasizes the urn's role as a conduit between the living and the dead.
The urn, likely produced over a millennium ago, serves as a reminder that death was not an ending for the Maya, but a transformation of the beloved ancestor into an honored spirit who continues to guide the living.
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