The Vase of the Seven Gods (K2796) (Figure 1) is one of the more famous examples of the painted ceramic vessels from the Late Classic. It features a scene that takes place on the creation date of 4 Ajaw 8 Kumk’u in the court of Itzamaat (God L). This same scene also appears on two other vessels, the Vase of the Eleven Gods (K7750) and the New Vase of the Eleven Gods. K2796 differs in that it is a condensed version of the scene, the significance of which will be discussed later.

As this scene depicts the court of Itzamaat (God L), he will be the deity that we discuss first. He can be found on the far right, sitting on a jaguar pelt throne. He can be easily recognized by his usual iconographic traits, primarily the combination of his elderly facial features and jaguar characteristics. These include his largely toothless jaw, which has a jaguar pelt texture, and the jaguar ear. Like many other deities, he also has a large eye, with a curled pupil. He can be seen smoking a cigar, a trait that has even survived to his modern counterpart of San Simón/Maximón. His headdress is comprised of his avian counterpart, who in this case is labeled with the name Baluun Chan Nal Kuy “Nine Sky Place Owl”. In most other depictions, this owl usually has the number thirteen in its name instead. God L can be seen making a specific hand gesture with his raised arm. It is worth noting that he makes this sane gesture on K7750, where there is also a black background behind him. Interestingly, on the New Vase of the Eleven Gods, which features a red background, he can be seen making the same gesture, but pointed down with a lowered arm. I suspect that this pattern with the direction of his arm and the color of the background is intentional.

The next five characters all share one important iconographic trait in common: a singular T-shaped shark tooth emerging from the front of their upper jaw. These five are the only non-zoomorphic characters in mythic scenes with this curious trait.¹ In the full version of the scene, which can be seen on the two Vases of the Eleven Gods, all five of these characters appear within the upper row. However, since K2796 is a condensed version of the scene, the two characters in the back, K’inich Ajaw and God I of the Palenque Triad, have been moved to the lower row. The order in which we will examine these five figures will be the same order in which they appear in the full scenes, beginning with the Jaguar War God and ending with K’inich Ajaw.

The Jaguar War God (Figure 3) is the next deity that we will discuss, as he is at the front of the upper row of deities seated before God L. He has his usual iconographic traits: a T-shaped tooth, a jaguar ear, jaguar skin around the jaw, and a large eye with a curled pupil. His headdress is composed of the royal headband, which he often wears when in the court of God L, suggesting that he has a prominent position in the hierarchy. Usually, this headband is interpreted to be the Sak Huun; however, I think it may instead be an Ihk’ Huun headband, as Ihk’ Huun is occasionally used as a part of the Jaguar War God’s titles or extended name.

Next in line is the Pax God (Figure 4), so called because his head glyph often acts as the head variant of the month Pax. It is no surprise that he is directly next to the Jaguar War God, as the two seem to be frequent companions in many scenes. He can easily be recognized by his missing lower jaw, which has been replaced by a TE’ ‘wood’ glyph. In addition, he has a jaguar paw ear, a T-shaped tooth, and a large eye with a square pupil. The Pax God also frequently appears with a forehead mirror. Since this depiction is somewhat damaged, it is hard to discern whether or not one is present in this example.

At the back of the upper row of characters is the Bloody-Mouthed God (Figure 5). This figure has previously gone unidentified, but the pre-restoration photographs clearly show him with a T-shaped tooth and a missing lower jaw replaced by a CH’ICH‘ ‘blood’ glyph, also known as “blood scrolls”, both characteristics of the Bloody-Mouthed God. His other traits included a leafy three-pointed ear and a large eye with a curled pupil.

God I of the Palenque Triad, who in the full depictions of the scene sits behind the Bloody-Mouthed God, can be found in the middle of the bottom row of characters. He can be distinguished from the other T-shaped tooth deities by his spondylus shell ear, feathers attached to his cheek, and his headdress comprised of the quadripartite monster and offering bowl. This bowl is most often depicted with a K’IN ‘sun’ glyph; however, this time it is depicted with a LEM ‘shiny’ glyph instead. Within it are usually three objects used in bloodletting rituals: a stingray spine for drawing blood, a spondylus shell for collecting it, and a piece of paper or cloth used to burn some of the collected blood as a form of offering. While the stingray spine and spondylus shell are present, the cloth/paper seems to be absent.

Directly behind God I of the Palenque Triad sits K’inich Ajaw (Figure 7), the last of the five T-shaped tooth deities. He is depicted with his standard iconographic traits: a T-shaped tooth, a large eye with a square pupil, a forehead mirror with a K’IN ‘sun’ glyph, and a centipede headdress. This centipede headdress likely connects to a portion of K’inich Ajaw’s extended name, Wuk Chapaht Tz’ikin “Seven Centipede Eagle.”

Lastly is the most enigmatic of the seven characters depicted on the Vase of the Seven Gods. Unlike the others, which are depicted in other scenes and mediums and mentioned in texts, this figure seems to exclusively appear on the Vases of the Seven and Eleven Gods. While his body may seem to be that of a normal human, his head is both skeletal and zoomorphic. In addition, he wears the centipede headdress of K’inich Ajaw. In the full depictions of the scene, this unknown figure sits at the front of the lower row of characters, as he does in this example, but behind him sit four animal-headed characters, three with the heads of a vulture and one with the head of a bat. On K2796, the unknown figure is the only one of these animal-headed figures to be included.

The presence of God L (Itzamaat) is expected, as the event seems to be taking place in his court. What his exact role was is still not perfectly understood, but he is likely overseeing the important event taking place. God L, like Itzamnaaj (God D), seems to have a significant and high-up role in the hierarchy of the Maya pantheon, as his court is one of the most frequently depicted. It is also quite significant that all five T-shaped tooth deities appear together in this scene. In a previous publication, I suggested the idea that their presence here is due to their possible planetary identifications: K’inich Ajaw as the Sun, God I of the Palenque Triad as Venus at dawn, the Jaguar War God as Venus at dusk, the Bloody-Mouthed God as Mercury at dawn, and lastly the Pax God as Mercury at dusk. As previously mentioned, the figure with the skeletal zoomorphic head is the least understood of the seven that appear on this specific vase, but he likely has a connection to the other animal-headed figures that appear in fuller versions of the scene.

1. Two other non-zoomorphic figures appear with this tooth: the Ak’ab God and the Axe-Eyed God. The Ak’ab God acts as a personification of night and darkness, and as a complementary opposite to K’inich Ajaw. The Axe-Eyed God acts as the head variant for the number six. Both of these characters seem to be entirely absent from mythic texts and scenes. ↩︎

Sources
Justin Kerr photograph collection, Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University, Washington, DC.
Callaway, Carl
2011 A Catalogue of Maya Era Day Inscriptions. La Trobe University.
Crim, Alexander
2025 The Vases of the Seven and Eleven Gods: A New Interpretation. IMS Explorer 53, no. 9 (2025): 1, 3–4.
Coe, Michael D.
1973 The Maya Scribe and His World. The Grolier Club.
Milbrath, Susan
1999 Star Gods of the Maya: Astronomy in Art, Folklore and Calendars. University of Texas Press.
Stone, Andrea, and Marc Zender
2011 Reading Maya Art: A Hieroglyphic Guide to Ancient Maya Painting and Sculpture. Thames & Hudson.