1) Stone object 
A metate (or mealing stone) is a mortar, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican culture, metates were typically used by women who would grind calcified maize and other organic materials during food preparation (e.g., making tortillas). Similar artifacts are found all over the world, including China. ==...
• (n.) A flat or somewhat hollowed stone upon which grain or other food is ground, by means of a smaller stone or pestle.
(from the article `tortilla`) ...was boiled with unslaked lime to soften the kernels and loosen the hulls. (This lime was the principal source of calcium in the Mexican diet.) The ...
Me·ta'te noun [ Spanish , from Mex. metlatl .] A flat or somewhat hollowed stone upon which grain or other food is ground, by means of a smaller stone or pestle. [ Southwestern U. S. & Spanish Amer.] 
. the lower, stationary stone used in conjunction with the mano for grinding grain. 
The stone mortar used for grinding corn and other grains. The word is Spanish, not Indian.