Vessels found in important burial chambers are
often made in the shape of animals or have
animal elements as part of the overall
composition. It is particularly intriguing when a
human is represented as an animal, because in
such instances we are probably witnessing a
shaman involved in a ritual act. This very
powerful vessel shows a nearly naked figure
wearing an alligator mask and holding onto bat
wings. He wears a heavy necklace that has loops
at the end which may have held a medallion or
emblem. Around his ankles are very thick
bracelets representing ones of metal or cloth.
The belt around his waist seems also of the same
thick material as the necklace. This figure more
than likely represents someone of great
importance, and the shamans of ancient Costa
Rica were not only highly respected but also
regarded as a separate class distinct even from
the nobility. Among their talents they were
reputed to be able to change themselves into
jaguars and other animals in order to commune
with jungle spirits and deities of the non-
physical realms. Some of their rituals were
performed in public, particularly involving those
matters such as fertility of the soil and the
weather. They would have danced in costume,
perhaps like the one this figure is wearing, and
entranced the crowd with their flamboyant
movements. Through this vessel we are allowed
the privilege of experiencing an event which has
long vanished- but lives on in a work of art.
- (PF.3112a)
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