Cuauhxicalli

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Jaguar shaped Cuauhxicalli in the National Museum of Anthropology of Mexico

A cuauhxicalli or quauhxicalli ([kʷaːwʃiˈkalli] meaning "Eagle gourd bowl" in Nahuatl) was an altar-like stone vessel used by the Aztecs to contain human hearts extracted in sacrificial ceremonies. A cuahxicalli would often be decorated with animal motifs, commonly eagles or jaguars. Another kind of cuauhxicalli is the Chacmool-type which is shaped as a reclining person holding a bowl on his belly.