Check out this beautiful Trough Metate!
The accompanying grinding stoneโknown as a Manoโwould have been a perfect fit for this specific Metate, and not a good fit for any other, thus, not interchangeable.
While the Basin-type Metates I have shared previously (visit link below) were intended for single-hand use and grinding in a circular motion, these Trough-styled designs were used with two hands and reciprocal strokes.
Previous Metate Posts
Metates like these are believed to have come into use throughout the Southwest sometime around A.D. 450. Designs would diverge based on different native cultural groups such as the Mogollon, Anasazi, Sinagua, and others. This specific Metate belongs to the Southern Sinagua.
Want to see this for yourself? Visit Montezuma Castle National Monument!