Metate. Nicoya - Guanacaste, Costa Rica, 600-1000 A.D.

Metate. Nicoya - Guanacaste, Costa Rica, 600-1000 A.D.
Stone
Provenance: Private Collection, Rennes, France
Conservation: it presents breaks in several zones, without replacement of modern material, which guarantees the material integrity and authenticity of the piece.
Measurements: 77 cm. length.

Important pre-Columbian metate belonging to the cultural area of Nicoya-Guanacaste, a region renowned for the sculptural quality of its utilitarian objects. This piece combines function and symbolism, adopting the stylized form of an animal -probably a feline- whose presence reinforces its ritual as well as domestic dimension.

The design presents a slightly concave upper surface for grinding, supported by openwork supports that show a remarkable technical mastery and a refined aesthetic sense. This type of open structures, together with the zoomorphic stylization, place the piece within a sculptural tradition characteristic of the period.

Beyond their daily use in the preparation of food, metates of this type were also objects of prestige and could have ceremonial or funerary functions, associated with the status and worldview of Mesoamerican and Central American societies.