Male Popoxcomitl Sahumador of White Clay

The "sahumerio and incense burner" Popoxcomitl or Popochcomitl is used to contain the fire and the coal; it is the medium that will transform the natural essences like the (Copalli) causing a thread of smoke that will help us to have a mystical link with the earth, the sky, the stars, the day and the night".

A sahumador as it is currently known; its use is of great importance in the ritual and ceremonial aspect. The variety of shapes, sizes, figures and the diverse sites where these objects have been found show their importance, both in ceremonial use in temples and the worship of certain natural laws commonly called gods, it was part of everyday life in the home, countryside and sacred sites such as mountains, hills, volcanoes and study centers or or oratories.

The Popoxcomitl represents the center of creation of the four forces of the earth, which are united in the center of the four directions of the universe, the fire or heat is the creation and beginning of life. The Copalli (Copal) and other herbs deposited in the Popochcomitl or Popoxcomitl (Sahumador) are burned to transform them into light substances capable of reaching the realm of infinite space. No ritual or ceremony begins without the Popoxcomitl lit and at the close of the ritual. It is the energy link between the supreme and the earthly. Its name is derived from two classical Nahuatl words:

-Popoca: to smoke, -Comitl: vessel,

Thus we have the translation of the smoking vessel.

This Sahumador is a 100% Chiapaneco clay creation, handmade with white clay and sand mixture from Amatenango del Valle in the highlands of Chiapas and potter town, the creations of these pieces were inspired by copies and replicas of the ancient natural of Mexico, pieces for ritualistic use that were used for ancient ceremonies, these pieces are handmade works and with a traditional burning of firewood, having a result based on the whim of the fire, that is to say that the pieces could reflect mottled colors or diverse natural tones that only the clay reflects after its firing, the pieces are elaborated by the potter artisan Arani Husmann.