Ceremonial Grinding Table (Metate) in the Form of a Feline
Nicoya
500–1000
Medium
Volcanic stone
Dimensions
41.3 × 34.9 × 86.4 cm (16 1/4 × 13 3/4 × 34 in.)
Classification
stone
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
146939
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States, flat stone grinders (metates) were used to prepare cornmeal and corn dough for cooking. Sculptors in ancient Costa Rica developed elaborate metate forms as symbols of sustenance; large, finely carved examples often feature effigies as emblems of a ruler or religious official. Metates have been discovered in burials, where they served as biers for deceased leaders, but they were probably primarily intended as throne-like seats for ch...