A youthful, idealized Maize god emerges from a blooming cornstalk. Hand modeled kernels rest in two columns of three on a leaf folded down to reveal the deity. He wears a headdress, thick necklace, and ear gauges.Small scale figurines primarily of noblemen and deities emerging from flowers exemplify a high point in Mayan art.This 8th century ceramic may have originated from Jaina Island, a Mayan settlement in current day Campeche, Mexico. Thousands of ceramic figurines have been excavated from burial sites on Jaina Island underscoring their ritual importance. The molded figures atop the stalks were typically young males with folded arms, created as effigies for renewal.McVicker, Donald. “Figurines Are Us? The Social Organization of Jaina Island, Campeche, Mexico.” Ancient Mesoamerica, vol. 23, no. 2, 2012, pp. 211-234, https://doi.org/10.1017/s0956536112000168. The Maize god, who personifies the maize life cycle, the motif of the fertile flower, and the object’s placement in a grave underscores its importance as a symbol of rebirth, life, and death.

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