Hallowed (under)Ground – Ancient Maya Dark Zone Use Patterns in the Subterranean Realm of Yaxcaba, Central Yucatan, Mexico

Summary

Cave explorers and scholars classify the different light zones of underground spaces into three categories – light, twilight, and dark. Despite the practical challenges ancient people faced while traveling into and through dark zones (those entirely devoid of light), it is common across the Maya region to find rich evidence that demonstrates that these spaces were heavily utilized during Precolumbian times.

Research conducted during the 2009 - 2011 field seasons of the Central Yucatan Archaeological Cave Project (CYAC), however, produced data that suggest that the dark zones of three major caves near the pueblo of Yaxcaba were seldom accessed in ancient times despite evidence of extensive usage in each caves’ light/twilight zones. This paper presents these data in stark contrast to what is most commonly observed at other Maya cave sites, while providing interpretations that may help explain this locally isolated phenomenon.

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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