The so-called Tlaloc vessels appear to occur exclusively in connection with burials and show a strong influence from Mesoamerica within Central American ceramics. The faces share key features with the Central Mexican rain god Tlaloc, such as the circles around the eyes, the fangs or the curled strip on the upper lip. Despite the great similarities, the vessels depict a Costa Rican rain god rather than the Central Mexican Tlaloc. As the vessels have no precursors in the Nicoya region, they are regarded as evidence of the first transregional contacts with Mesoamerica. A. Nicklisch 2003