The Investigation of a Sascabera near the Las Monjas Complex in Chichen Itza

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Studies in Mesoamerican Subterranean Archaeology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Some 75 m southwest of the Las Monjas complex at Chichen Itza and just west of Sacbe No. 7, lie a series of eleven sascaberas that are shown schematically on the Carnegie map. While ceiling collapse has undoubtedly occurred in the millennium since their creation, some, such as Sascabera #2, have an extensive enclosed dark zone space. In Sascabera #2, this can be attributed in part to the leaving of pillars to support the ceiling. A survey of Sascabera #2 recovered a fair number of ceramic sherds indicating post mining activities carried out within the dark zone. The feature was also noteworthy in being the only sascabera where stalactites had formed on the ceiling. Evidence suggests that the Maya may have deliberately excavated sascaberas at the site to function as caves.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Studies in Mesoamerican Subterranean Archaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25277