Object Notes

Around 1300, Ancestral Pueblo ceramicists in northern Arizona began using a highly select clay source and new coal-firing technique to create fine yellow wares. The clay was fired at high temperatures in an oxidizing environment to produce a creamy yellow base color and dense ceramic wall that would nearly ring when tapped.

The Ulúa River system runs through northwestern Honduras, connecting highland lakes and valleys to the Caribbean Sea. During the Late Classic period (600–900 CE), the Maya traded actively with communities in these regions, and this exchange enriched a regional polychrome ceramic tradition. The Ulua Polychrome vessels presented here mostly originated in the Comayagua or Lake Yojoa regions.