The Mayans produced a hugely imaginative range of pottery vessels, which reflected the multifarious uses they played in Mayan life. This type of vessek, with an elongated front, from a rounded back, is a peculiar addition to their repertoire. Larger vessels of the same type are known with small ‘ears’ high up near to the rim, and so it is possible that vessels of this shape were designed to mimic the head of an animal. Found as far north as Panama, it is possible that the vessels mimic the face of the lesser capybara (Hydrochoerus isthmius), whose range was even greater in antiquity.