Molcajete

By the end of the ceramic sequential in Central Mexico, naturalistic designs painted on black on the natural color of clay started to spread. This kind of ceramic, known by the archaeologist as Aztec IV or Tlatelolco, continued during the colonial period. Ceramics became highly innovative; it was not only decorated with geometric and symbolic designs, but with animals, plants and flowers; there were also new shapes for vessels and stands, in addition to some motifs from Spanish origin. Unlike what happened with the stone sculptures, which were brutally destroyed by the Europeans so the Aztecs will not continue representing deities, pottery blossomed because its designs were not regarded as idolatrous and instead of using symbolic content, they developed designs closer to reality that were considered harmless. This piece, decorated with plants, parallel lines and a stylized bird with a fruit in its beak, is a mortar or container used to make sauces, as shown in the scratched surface of the bottom. The three solid stands have the shape of some animal claws, perhaps those of a jaguar.Arqlga. Bertina Olmedo Vera