Greater Nicoya Turtle Effigy Bowl
2018 © Maxim Tabachnik
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Greater Nicoya Turtle Effigy Bowl

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Shaped like a turtle with geometric engravings on its shell, this ceramic vessel from the Greater Nicoya culture (500–800) symbolizes longevity, earth, and water. Turtles held cosmological significance in Mesoamerican thought, often associated with fertility and the underworld, where they served as carriers of life and rebirth.