Known in pictographic representations as God B, Chaac is one of the most important deities in the Maya pantheon because of his association with rain and lightning. His image is characterized by certain conventional features, including a long pendulous nose, serpent-like eyes, an elongated scroll over the temple, curved fangs, and other distinctive attributes. This deity was represented on a variety of objects, including the incense burner from the city of Mayapán, Yucatán.
This beautiful piece was mold-made from coarse ceramic paste. The attributes that associate it with Chaac were added using the appliqué technique. The incense burner displays polychrome decoration, predominantly in shades of blue and red; the former associated with water and the underworld, and the latter with warfare and ritual sacrifice. Chaac appears wearing a headdress with serpentine features, a recurring element in the iconography of this deity. In addition, copal bags hang from his arms, and in his right hand he holds a vessel containing water, while in the other he carries a copal sphere, a ritual substance of great importance in ceremonial practices.
Excavations at Mayapán have yielded large numbers of effigy censers, in addition to the one dedicated to Chaac, demonstrating the importance of these objects in the city's rituals during the Postclassic period. These Chen Mul Modeled-style censers also depict Itzamná, Ek Chuah, and the Monkey-Man Scribe, the deity of scribes and artists.