The caves represent the entrance to the underworld, reason why the Maya dedicated various rituals to them and placed offerings inside the caves. For the Maya, the bat was the cave's guardian because it lives in the dark, and they linked it to the night, death, fertility and sexuality. They also linked the Chiroptera (bat) with blood sacrifices, specifically the vampire bat like the ones shown of these dishes, that can be identified bar the blood flowing from their snouts.