Demystifying the High Priest’s Grave: Investigations in the Cave/Cenote below the Osario

Summary

One of the most enigmatic publications in Maya cave archaeology has been Edward H. Thompson investigation of the High Priest’s Grave at Chichen Itza in 1896. Thompson discovered a masonry shaft running down the center of the pyramid that gave access to a cave/cenote beneath the structure. This was the first account of a cave with a pyramid built over it and Thompson suggested that the cave contained seven chambers, hinting at the possibility of a Chicomoztoc. J. Eric Thompson in editing and publishing the report in 1938 notes that there are a number of discrepancies in this early account and over the years, archaeologists have grappled with the meaning of the discovery.

The Gran Aquífero Maya project undertook a restudy of the pyramid, shaft, and cave. The stone floor at the base of the shaft was found to be the top of a small platform that predated the construction of the pyramid. Evidence suggests that the cave had been subjected to a termination ritual and no Chicomoztoc configuration was found.

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): 18715