A Maya Tripod Plate with Maize God, Classic Maya Period, ca. 600 - 800 CE Sculpture - Stone wearing a striped poncho with

wearing a striped poncho with his feet peeking out beneath

For related examples see:

used by elites to imbue themselves with the power of crocodiles

The resulting pad of millefiori glass was then rolled upon itself and shaped into a bead

From the Twenty-sixth Dynasty on

A Maya Tripod Plate with Maize God, Classic Maya Period, ca. 600 - 800 CE Sculpture - Stone wearing a striped poncho withPainted Mayan pottery such as this example was used for feasting, ritual purposes, and as prestigious gifts given to emphasize the power of the giver and bind the recipient to them through a form of purchased loyalty. Maya kings and queens might give them to local governors. The artists who created them were also often minor royalty or nobility, especially the ones who could paint glyphs, as literacy was reserved for the Mayan elite. This large