Storm God Vessel 200–700 Teotihuacan This drinking or libation vessel is carved entirely from steatite, or soapstone. The artist invested a considerable amount of labor in this depiction of what is likely the Teotihuacan Storm God, recognized by the prominent fanged mouth and circular eyes. The head of the god lies on the neck of the vessel and is marked by a prominent upper lip with four fangs, accentuated by a drilled hole beneath the teeth. The deity is shown squatting on the vessel; his legs and sandaled feet are shown on the side of the vessel's body. His left hand grasps a bundle of dart
Storm God Vessel 200–700 Teotihuacan This drinking or libation vessel is carved entirely from steatite, or soapstone. The artist invested a considerable amount of labor in this depiction of what is likely the Teotihuacan Storm God, recognized by the prominent fanged mouth and circular eyes. The head of the god lies on the neck of the vessel and is marked by a prominent upper lip with four fangs, accentuated by a drilled hole beneath the teeth. The deity is shown squatting on the vessel; his legs and sandaled feet are shown on the side of the vessel's body. His left hand grasps a bundle of darts, while his right holds what is likely a spear thrower with which he could hurl the darts. Many similar vessels have been found at Teotihuacan, most recently in the tunnel excavations under the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. There is also a depiction of the Storm God himself holding two of these vessels in the murals of the Tepantitla ancient Mesoamerica, gods of rain and storms were often depicted with weapons, symbolizing their power to wield damaging lighting and thunder. The Storm God at Teotihuacan is often depicted with lightning, watery imagery, agricultural fertility, mountains, specific colors, and the earthly quincunx formed by the cardinal directions and a central point. The Storm God, as in other ancient Mesoamerican societies, had close associations with rulership and martial power. Further reading Berrin, Kathleen, and Esther Pasztory. Teotihuacan: Art from the City of the Gods. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 1993. Carballo, David M. Effigy Vessels, Religious Integration, and the Origins of the Central Mexican Pantheon. Ancient Mesoamerica Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 53-67, 2007. Carballo, David M., Kenneth G. Hirth, and Barbara Arroyo. Teotihuacan: The World Beyond the City. Dumbarton Oaks, 2020. Coe, Michael D., and Emile Deletaille. Rediscovered Masterpieces of Mesoamerica: Mexico-Guatemala-Honduras. Boulogne, France, 1985, p. 121, pl. ,
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