Hummingbird Cup

Culture: Mixteca
Period: Posclásico (1225 d.C.)

Piece description

This delicate vessel features a hummingbird perched on a cup that could represent a flower. The cup is of the codex type, showing various symbolic designs with stepped fretwork representing serpents and alter ego animals of the gods: a jaguar, two eagles, and an opossum. It was deposited in tomb 1 of Zaachila, dated to 1225 AD.