"Forth from this Dark and Lonely Hiding Place": Chultun Excavations at Ka'Kabish

Summary

During three field seasons, chultuns were investigated at three small groups representing the settlement zone, public space, and core near the main plaza of Ka’Kabish. Puleston asserted that chultuns must have a utilitarian function because they are overwhelmingly found in rural, domestic contexts. This very processualist logic denies the possibility of domestic ritual that is so prevalent in Maya ethnography. Furthermore, at Ka’Kabish, Uaxactun, Nakum and other sites, chultuns are regularly reported from public spaces.

All the chultuns excavated at Ka’Kabish contained multiple burials and objects that were likely left as mortuary offerings. The mortuary function of chultuns was noted by early investigators (e.g., Tozzer, Gann, and Ricketson ) but was described as an "occasional" or "secondary" use. While the use of chultuns for burials is a secondary function that terminated further use of the feature, it occurs more frequently than previously appreciated. The presence of multiple individuals suggests the repeated performance of mortuary rituals, which constitutes a process of sacrilization of that space. The regular use of these spaces as burial sites is consistent with our hypothesis that chultuns served a ritual function, rather than the traditional, and somewhat improbable, idea that they were used as storage chambers.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Here be Dragons: Archaeology in North Central Belize.

Keywords

Spatial Coverage