Dig It - 7/17/25
Hey Fellow Seekers, come on in and have a seat. Today we are going to look at a Mayan tripod plate. These were probably for serving tamales or some special feast food. But let me tell you, Fellow Seekers, there is a lot going on on this here plate, and most of it involves drugs (hallucinogens) and the supernatural. OOOOOWAWah, Scary Stuff Kids.
After you get over the initial shock, look deep into the painting on the interior surface. On the right side of the plate is Dancing Jaguar. The jaguar is a he, or maybe she, because she appears to be wearing a Quechque’mitl a traditional woman’s triangular blouse. It is wearing a curved-beaked mask with a “hairy” eyeball on top and volutes winding and curling all over the place. One can identify three paws, and the jaguar seems to be balancing on its tail. The dancing jaguar is facing an earth god to his/her left; note his big hooked nose and mouth below.
What can I say, Fellow Seekers? This is a super-fueled, drug-induced, supernatural nightmare. The image just moves with a seething, entangling energy. I'm so glad it is not my trip! These priests or shamans (there is a difference) must have been very brave to have taken the drugs that created this image. I know that in Pre-Classic times, roughly 2,000 years ago, highland Mayans were making altars in the shape of mushrooms, so it is not a stretch to believe the Mayans of the Classic period were ingesting hallucinogenic mushrooms. Furthermore, the tribes were using morning glory seeds, peyote, and datura to achieve supernatural visions. Well, fellow seekers, that about wraps it up for this trip. Adios, Lonesome