collectable vases

Wearing the skin of a jaguar, a young man dances to the sound of an unseen drum as he imitates the movements of the lithe jungle cat. Ruben and Gilda Perez depicts an image from a vase discovered at Altar de Sacrificios, an ancient Maya site locate upriver from Yaxchilan. An offering in Burial 96, the original polychrome vase is crafted of terracotta and on display at Guatemala's Museum of Anthropology and History.

The Guatemalan artisans etch the intricate motifs into natural jade and display the plaque on a black pinewood base.