In the Mayan hall, the Preclassic or Formative period, which corresponds to the era of pre-state regional centers, is represented by some extraordinary ceramic vessels, like this example corresponding to a site located at the Central Depression of Chiapas. Small communities developed in this area and in time there was a population increase together with a big construction activity and some agricultural towns turned into ceremonial centers. Some years ago, the Malpaso Dam was built in the Grijalva River and many archaeological sites are nowadays under water. One of the most important places in this area is San Isidro. The ceramic of this period is characterized by plates with everted flat edges that depict different animals, like frogs, fish, or, like in this case, a long beak bird, most likely a heron.Dra. Federica Sodi MirandaColaboradores: Arqlgo. Hugo Herrera Torres Araceli Ruiz Peláez Mtro. Hugo García Capistran.