Understanding Maya Rituals of Power in the Candelaria Caves, Guatemala: A View from the Polychrome Ceramics of the Early Classic

Summary

The Candelaria Caves System, with its approximately 18 km of passageways, forms the second largest underground karstic complex in the Maya Area. As result of their location at the highland-lowland transition and close to Great Western Trade Route, it was an important pilgrimage center for people of different cultural and geographical regions. The Early Classic period (A.D. 250-500) marked the introduction of polychrome ceramics, mainly Dos Arroyos-group ceramics, which played an important role in ritual activity in practically all caves used during the same time. Ceramic analysis and its relationship with context have allowed scholars to understand certain patterns in rituals related to power and prestige as expressed through the use of specific vessels. On one hand, these ceramics are related to public rituals that took place in great chambers close to the cave entrance that would have been visible to an audience. On the other hand, although their production was standardized, there are at least two distinct ceramic traditions or proveniences. In this paper, the authors present some conclusions related to these polychrome ceramics and their significance in regional ideology and interregional exchange.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21143