This simple piece without any decoration suggests that it was used for domestic purposes. The shape of the bowl is very common in Mesoamerica, making it difficult to attribute to any one culture whenever found out of context.
Domestic pottery was used for cooking, eating, storing and transporting food. Ceremonial pottery was produced with the best clay and was created in elaborate and varied forms; however, these kinds of daily-use ceramics were usually produced with clay of lesser quality and with crude and rough finishes; the shapes are defined based on their function.
According to Eduardo Noguera, an expert in Mesoamerican ceramics, pottery was invented by accident. Before the invention of ceramics, baskets were used to transport and hold food. By chance, the baskets containing the clay were set on fire and baked. This is how man discovered ceramics.
This simple piece without any decoration suggests that it was used for domestic purposes. The shape of the bowl is very common in Mesoamerica, making it difficult to attribute to any one culture whenever found out of context.
