Though the Maya are still in many respects a mysterious people, there is no doubt they were very ingenuous. This is particularly true in their devising simple solutions to complex problems, and making simple tools for clever purposes. This stone pipe is in that category of an item that appears basic, but is in fact more than what it seems. One use may have been as a 'blower' for smelting gold. The stone would have made an excellent material for this purpose. The Maya nobility are known to have enjoyed using mind-altering snuff, which could have been imbibed through the hollow tube of the pipe. Its size and weight would have made it portable, and easily passed around from one person to the next. The enigmatic face carved on the upper portion, and the glyptic only add to the pipe's mystery; making it something both rare and very fascinating.