Caves, Sinkholes and Chultuns: New Evidence for the Importance of Earth Openings in Ancient Mesoamerica Religion

When Mesoamerican cave archaeology began to take shape in the 1980s and 1990s an early consensus formed around using the term “cave” in the sense of the Maya word ch'e'en which indicates not simply a cave but also a large number of other holes that penetrate the earth. Additionally, indigenous peoples show far less concern for whether the hole is of a natural or human origin. Recent reach continues to demonstrate that traditional caves are important landmarks in the landscape but, additionally, archaeologists have begun to show that many more features were marked by ancient peoples as having sacred significance. This session brings together fresh perspectives on the subject.