Who Are the Olmec in Eastern Guerrero? From Grafitti to Monuments in the Caves of Guerrero

Summary

The caves of Cauadzidziqui and Techan offer contrasting views of how Olmec style appears in eastern Guerrero. Cauadzidziqui presents large-scale paintings of individuals with Olmec style symbols and objects plastered over what is believed to be local late Archaic paintings—essentially graffiti placed in a sacred locale along a primary route between the highlands and coast. The Cave of the Governors presents 3 or possibly 4 jaguar sculptures carved out of living rock, flanking the interior opening to the cave. The cave opening offers a view of the rising sun on the summer solstice highlighting the cave’s importance as conduit to the underworld and water mountain. Surrounding the cave opening were smaller niches recalling the cerro of Chalcatzingo and the origin of Chicomoztoc. This paper explores the significance of the iconography of these caves in eastern Guerrero and its relationship to broader Formative period iconography in Mesoamerica.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Painting and Carving the Underworld: The Archaeology of Guerrero through Its Caves

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14803