Classic Maya culture developed in three general regions in Mesoamerica. By far the most important and most complete urban developments occurred in the lowlands in the "central region" of southern Guatemala, which is the origin of most orangeware pottery. The principal city in this region was Tikal, but the spread of urbanization extended south to Honduras; the southernmost Mayan frontier city was Copan in northern Honduras. In the Guatemalan highlands to the north, Mayan culture developed less fully. The highlands are more temperate and seem to have been the main suppliers of raw materials to the central urban centers. The largest and most complete urban center in this region was Palenque. The other major region of Mayan development was the Yucatan peninsula, which makes up the southern and eastern portions of modern-day Mexico. The Late Classic Period saw a gradual abandonment of the lowlands of southern Guatemala, perhaps due to famine brought on by overcrowding or changing religious beliefs that left the principally ceremonial cities unimportant. However, the Mayans continued in a diminished capacity in the Guatemalan highlands and in the Yucatan through the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th Century.

AGE: Late Classic Period, ca. 600-900 A.D.

CONDITION: Intact with no repairs or restorations. Two small, stable pressure cracks are evident, one on the outside wall (visible in the enlargements) and a smaller one on the inside rim. Otherwise, in quite nice shape. As shown in the photos, this piece came with a Christies East tag, which reads "NYCCN2746." I can find no reference to this sale; Christies East closed about six years ago, and the collector who previously owned this piece bought sporadically through the 80s and 90s. Thus, I can't reference a specific sale, although the bowl does appear to be ex-Christies.