The specific form of this two-legged metate is documented archaeologically as being of Late Preclassic type. The natural-istic turtle image fits nicely in the repertoire of the coastal Izapan style, though this presentation is unique. In Meso-american mythology a turtle may be conceived as the surface of the earth. Here maize, the staff of life, could be ground directly on its back (if not hallucinogenic powders for shamanistic rites).