A metate is a type or variety of quern, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican cultures, metates are typically used by women who would grind nixtamalized maize and other organic materials during food preparation. Similar artifacts have been found in other regions, such as the sil-batta in Bihar and Jharkhand, India as well as other grinding stones in China.
Metate, mano and corn, all circa 12th century AD, from Chaco Canyon, USA
Mano, metate and bowl of corn. Museum display of Ancestral Pueblo artifacts at Mesa Verde National Park.
A Costa Rican metate with bird iconography at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
A native American grinder stone tool or 'metate' from Central Mexico.
Quern-stones are stone tools for hand-grinding a wide variety of materials, especially for various types of grains. They are used in pairs. The lower stationary stone of early examples is called a saddle quern, while the upper mobile stone is called a muller, rubber, or handstone. The upper stone was moved in a back-and-forth motion across the saddle quern. Later querns are known as rotary querns. The central hole of a rotary quern is called the eye, and a dish in the upper surface is known as the hopper. A handle slot contained a handle which enabled the rotary quern to be rotated. They were first used in the Neolithic era to grind cereals into flour.
Disc quern made of basalt stone
The upper stone of a Scottish hand quern from Dalgarven Mill, North Ayrshire
Revolving beehive quern-stones and [lower] a saddlestone on display at Cliffe Castle Museum, in Keighley, West Yorkshire.
A stack of quern-stones for sale in a market in Haikou, Hainan, China. These quern-stones are only about 30 cm wide.