A Reexamination of Postclassic Maya Cave Altars along the Central Coast of Quintana Roo

Summary

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

The construction and ceremonial use of miniature temples, or shrines, in caves across the central coastal zone of Quintana Roo, Mexico is a well-documented tradition and one that has received recent scholarly attention. Also common in caves throughout the region was the siting of unenclosed altars in a range of different forms and styles. Interestingly, a number of these altars closely resemble those found within the inner-sanctums of temples located at surface sites. Religious specialists who would have had access to (and familiarization with) more restricted temple interiors may have also presided over cave rituals involving those altars that reflect a close stylistic correspondence to their temple-enclosed counterparts. It is proposed that in the case of such cave altars, the cave itself could have functioned as a "temple," thereby enclosing the altar and creating a symbolically analogous performative space.

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): 24829