Mayas made pottery for both domestic and ceremonial and ritual use. They used molds, worked directory with lumps of clay or built vessels with rolled strips or balls, drying finished pieces in open air.

Shapes varied widely: Figurines, urns, incense burners, drinking vessels, cooking pots, etc., and different styles, which experts have grouped in several phases.

They are Formative or Pre-Classic, characterized by rudimentary objects of red or gray clay with monochrome designs; Early Classic, when techniques developed considerably, shapes diversified and colors were used to decorate figures. In Middle Classic pieces were painted or incised with multicolored geometric designs on yellow or orange background. Late Classic marks the high point of pottery, with figures realistically painted on surfaces in white, red and yellow, often in combination with calendar glyphs.

Finally, Yucatan arose as pottery center in Post Classic and new techniques were created, but this did not rival the splendor on the previous period.