An Analysis of Lithic Production at the La Milpa Sinkhole (RB-25-A5)

Summary

Caves are prominent earth openings in Maya sites that are widely recognized as being important sacred landmarks. There is a wide range of earth openings at sites, however, that are rarely recognized as possible landmarks and this can impact the interpretation of associated artifacts. Investigation of the La Milpa Sinkhole (RB-25-A5) is a case in point. Investigation in 2012 classified the feature as a trash pit. The recovery of large quantities of what were thought to be chert flakes led to the interpretation of the feature as being associated with a lithic workshop. Examination by a California State University, Los Angeles team in 2014 recognized the feature as a sinkhole with a possible ritual function. Excavation also recovered large quantities of chert but a unit within the cave-like portion found similar pieces still within their matrix of soft dolomitic limestone. A meticulous analysis eliminated most of the recovered material as natural shatter while confirming the presence of 27 formal lithic artifacts.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Caves, Sinkholes and Chultuns: New Evidence for the Importance of Earth Openings in Ancient Mesoamerica Religion   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage