Centuries ago, at the height of the Mayan Empire, some unknown craftsman shaped this votive with his hands. His movements were deft and skillful: he perhaps created many thousands like it in his lifetime. With quick strokes of a sharpened stick he defined its character and then fired it in a kiln. Soon, some votary seeking to propitiate the gods offered it in the temple precinct. As he placed it with trembling hands before the altar, he imbued it with the hopes and dreams of his lifetime. As we hold it in a similar fashion today, we connect ourselves directly with those vanished lives and those forgotten dreams.