by Mildred Boyd

      When a Mayan housewife broke her favorite pot, it was no great loss. She simply tossed the pieces on the midden heap and started rolling out pieces of clay to make herself a new one. Perhaps this time she would try something new; an incised design or maybe a different color slip. She, and the thousands like her over a period of three and a half milennia, had no way of knowing that, in so doing, they were helping future generations write the history of their times.
To archaeologists, every potsherd is a veritable treasure trove of information. Everything about it, from the chemical composition of the basic clay to the shape, size, color and style of decoration of the piece itself, has a story to tell. Given enough such shards, scholars can establish a pottery sequence that answers many questions. Where and when they were made? Who made them? Did that particular site have trade relations with other cultures? Painted pots and small figurines are even more informative. What gods did they worship? Who were their rulers? How did they dress? Make war? Amuse themselves?
     Mayan ceramics have been divided into seven major periods, each with a number of subdivisions. Their technology changes very little throughout all that time but styles vary dramatically from the simple Mamon to the highly ornate Tepeu and beyond.

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