Karst Landscapes and Uses of Caves among the Prehispanic Zoque people of Cerro Brujo, Ocozocoautla, Chiapas

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Cerro Brujo is located in central Chiapas and is part of a mountain ridge that forms different karstic rock shelters, caverns, and caves. Early Zoque groups inhabited the area, took advantage of the resources, and developed symbolic activities in the interior of the cave system. Nearly a decade ago, the speleological "Grupo Jaguar" started expeditions to recognize the region. Recently, in collaboration with the INAH, a more systematic methodology has been developed to better understand interactions between Zoque groups and their terrain. Our research focuses on documenting the archaeological and geomorphological features in this region to add knowledge of geographical and cultural characteristics that define the human-landscape relationships. The project also looks to create spaces for community engagement and outreach activities in closer modern towns. This paper discusses the joint efforts of a transdisciplinary study that directs to the enlightenment and preservation of the cave system and the archaeological material culture.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 41629.0