The vessel is an example of a Carrillo Polychrome design, a common ceramic type of the period AD 500 – 800. Artists during this period emphasized angular geometric patterns on bowls, jars, and storage jars. This example features stylized snakes, alligators, and bats, executed with characteristic abstraction that tends to focus on the essence of the animal rather than its form. The disjointed nature of the iconography conveys a sense of decorporealization – the out of body sensation of the spiritual realm.