This unique type of zoomorphic effigy grinding
stone was the most important ritual object of its
time in Costa Rica. It served as a very special
burial object for wealthy, high-status members
of society. The metate as a utilitarian grinding
stone in every-day life had the 'power' to
transform seeds and kernels into flour. When
placed in the tomb, the metate symbolized for
the deceased he assurance of a transformation, a
rebirth, the beginning of a new life. This
particular metate, carved in the stylized shape of
a jaguar, displays yet another symbol of extreme
importance to the members of Costa Rican
society at the time of its creation. The jaguar
was regarded as the most powerful animal in the
world, to be honored and revered; it even had
certain divine characteristics. In mythology, the
most important God, Maira, became the sun
during the day, making the great journey from
east to west across the lands. At night, however,
Maira assumed the form of a jaguar and
stealthily made his way from the west back to
the east, where in the morning he would rise
again in the form of the sun. These
commanding attributes of transformation and
power are artistically portrayed in this
monumental metate. The sweeping upward
curve of the rectangular plate which serves as the
feline's body, the large and powerfully extended
neck and head with their exquisitely sculpted
openwork carving, the sculpted face with its
ferocious visage, all combine to give this stone
feline the timeless regal ness that would befit
any God. The reverence with which this piece
was afforded in antiquity clearly extends into the
present.
- (PF.2294)
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