Canine Ornament 7th-8th century Maya This orange shell pendant represents a four-legged mammal with a long tail, probably a stylized canine. A Maya artist painstakingly carved the outline of the animal and then drilled and shaped openwork negative space between the tail and the body, after thinning one half of the bivalve Spondylus princeps, utilizing the curve of the shell to portray the dogs tail as extended toward the viewer. The natural ridges of the shells interior morph into hair on the ears, limbs, and back of the creature. Spondylus and other marine shells were imported from long distances as luxury materials for the regalia of Maya rulers. The dog seems to snarl as it raises its snout to expose sharp teeth. A depression indicates the eye, framed by the upper jaw and the heavy supraorbital brow. The dog seems to be in motion, perhaps even depicted as on its back and flailing its four limbs in the air in a pose of submission. Three small drilled holes indicate that this shell