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Of Land, Sea, and Sky
Animals in the Art of the Ancient Americas

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Figural bowl with Cayman heads
Tairona, Colombia
Redware pottery
1000 - 1550 A.D.
L: 16 in. (40.64 cm), W: 8 in. (20.32 cm) (at widest)

This rectangular low bowl is modeled with cayman heads on either end and and two small birds on the rim of the bowl. According to Labbe, "the cayman symbolizes duality, the life force, and fertility. Double cayman iconography corresponds with the double-headed serpent iconography in ancient Mexican art."

Scientific classification: "Crocodilia" order.
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