Guess what, Pedro...it's not a gourd. Most people think it IS a gourd, but the jícara is a fruit that grows on the tecomate tree. The fruits are cut in half and the flesh, reportedly somewhat poisonous, is scooped out of each half. The insides of the shells are scoured, the jícaras are allowed to dry, and then they are carved or painted or left plain. They do grow in southeastern Mexico, and they also grow in the beach areas of Michoacán. Here's a photo I took in September 2020. I have a bunch of them in a couple of sizes, and I've bought them all in Oaxaca. Some are beige with darker brown carvings, like yours, and others are beige with black, and still others are painted brilliant red with designs in other colors. Some are left whole, with the pulp drained out, and turned into sonajas (rattles). I've never experienced with any of them the rapid absorption that you mention.
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