Mesoamerican artifacts

thumb|Metate, mano and corn, all circa 12th century AD, from Chaco Canyon, USA thumb|Mano, metate and bowl of corn. Museum display of Ancestral Pueblo artifacts at [[Mesa Verde National Park.]] A metate (or mealing stone) is a type or variety of quern, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican cultures, metates are typically used by women who would grind nixtamalized maize and other organic materials during food preparation (e.g., making tortillas). Similar artifacts have been found in other regions, such as the sil-batta in Bihar and Jharkhand, India

thumb|right|200px|A , illustrated in the 16th-century Aztec manuscript, the [[Durán Codex]]

thumb|350px|Molcajete and tejolote with peppers to be ground A molcajete (; Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl molcaxitl) and tejolote (from Nahuatl texolotl) are stone tools, the traditional Central American and especially, the Mexican version of the mortar and pestle used for grinding various food products.

figurines from Olmec art

sculpture

terracotta head found in 1933 in Mexico

ornament worn in body piercing

ancient art pieces

thumb|Axe-money from Mexico at the Prehistory Museum of Valencia

Ancient Maya limestone carving from Yaxchilan in modern Chiapas, Mexico

hand-held stone tool used with a metate or quern to process or grind food by hand

mayan archaeological artifact