The Shell Game: Maya Cosmology as Reflected in Recent Discoveries at Tutu Uitz Na

Summary

The plaza held special significance to the ancient Maya, and across ancient Mesoamerica. In a reflection of Maya cosmological beliefs, the plaza was seen as a representation of, and a portal to the primordial sea, the watery underworld from which all things originate. This connection is evident in various ways throughout the region, from special dedicatory deposits to decorative architecture and iconography. This presentation explores that cosmological salience through the recent excavations at Tutu Uitz Na, a large intermediate elite residential and ceremonial group situated in the Belize Valley, in the hinterland of the Late-Terminal Classic (AD 700-900) polity of Lower Dover. Tutu Uitz Na rose earlier, during the Middle Preclassic (1000-400 BC). The initial founding of the group saw the placement of a consecratory ritual deposit of artifacts associated with the watery underworld: figurines, marine shell, and an estimated 26 million river snails, all laid beneath the plaza. Excavations at a nearby commoner patio group have revealed a similar Middle Preclassic deposit beneath the patio. This paper explores the importance of this deposit and seeks to situate it within other case studies from Mesoamerica, to establish a distinct pattern of intent on the part of the ancient Maya.

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): 20671