Images of skulls were widespread throughout Mesoamerica, a region that spanned parts of present-day Mexico and Central America. Skulls were often used as markers for the dead or as deities of the Underworld. This object is believed to be a funerary urn from the Late Classic period (ca. 600–900 CE) of the Maya civilization. The front contains twenty mold-made skulls with large eyes and bared teeth. On the sides there are two thin, elongated figures that possibly serve as handles. One figure clutches their distended stomach while the other grasps their head. This object is probably missing its lid, which likely would have been adorned with similar imagery. Lids of urns may reference deities, rulers, or powerful animals like the jaguar.
Urns such as this are related to tombs and burial offerings. Some held human remains while others may have contained incense resin or various items that were offered to the gods during burial rituals.
