Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T23:22:15.010Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Caves and Ancient Maya Ritual Use of Jute

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Christina T. Halperin ,
Sergio Garza ,
Keith M. Prufer  and
James E. Bradya
Christina T. Halperin
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of California. Riverside, CA 92521
Sergio Garza
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, California State University, Los Angeles, CA 90032
Keith M. Prufer
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849
James E. Bradya
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, California State University, Los Angeles, CA 90032
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A number of previous authors have suggested, based on limited data, that Pachychilus spp., freshwater gastropods often called jute, may have played a role in ancient Maya ritual. Data collected by the authors demonstrate that jute shells consistently appear as part of faunal assemblages in ceremonial caves across the southern Maya Lowlands. At surface sites, jute are often associated with ceremonial architecture, particularly ballcourts. Previous ethnographic accounts are reviewed for clues to ancient Maya jute use. New ethnographic data suggest a role not previously considered by archaeologists. A Q‘eqchi’ Maya informant states that shells are gathered up after meals and deposited in caves as an offering in thanks to “Mother Earth” (Madre Tierra) who provided the mollusks. This practice suggests that the ancient shells may represent a secondary deposition rather than reflecting consumption occurring in the cave. The presence of jute shells may document ancient religious beliefs and ritual activities surrounding an important subsistence resource.

Un número de autores anteriores han sugerido, basado en datos limitados, que Pachychilus spp., gastrópodos de agua dulce frecuentemente llamado jute, quizá haya asumido ciertas funciones en ritual Maya antiguo. Datos colectados por los autores demuestra que las conchas de jute consistentemente aparecen como parte de ensamblados faunales en cuevas ceremoniales atravez de las tierras bajas Maya del sur. En sitios superficiales, jute son frecuentemente asociados con arquitectura ceremonial, particularmente centros de juego de pelota. Declaraciones etnográficas anteriores son examinadas por pistas que informen acerca del antiguo uso Maya del jute. Nuevos datos etnográficos sugieren un papel que no había sido considerado por los arqueólogos. Un informante Maya Q’eqchi’ declara que las conchas son juntadas después de las comidas y depositadas en cuevas como ofrendas dando gracias a la “Madre Tierra” quien provee estos moluscos. Esto sugiere que las conchas antiguas tal vez representen una redeposición en lugar de reflejar un consumo ocurrido en la cueva. La presencia de conchas de jute quizá esté documentando en creencias religiosas antiguas y actividades rituales que envuelven un importante recurso de subsistencia.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , June 2003 , pp. 207 - 219
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 by the Society for American Archaeology.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

References Cited

Andrews, E. Wyllys IV 1969 The Archaeological Use and Distribution of Mollusca in the Maya Lowlands. Middle American Research Institute, Publication 34. Tulane University, New Orleans.Google Scholar
Ashmore, Wendy 1989 Construction and Cosmology: Politics and Ideology in Lowland Maya Settlement Patterns. In Word and Image in Maya Culture: Explorations in Language, Writing, and Representation, edited by William F. Hanks and Don S. Rice, pp. 272–286. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.Google Scholar
Bassie, Karen 2002 The Jolja’ Cave Project. Report Submitted to the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI), Crystal River.Google Scholar
Benson, Elizabeth P. 1997 Birds and Beasts of Ancient Latin America. University of Florida Press, Gainesville.Google Scholar
Bonor, Juan Luis 1995 Excavaciones de salvamento en “Caves Branch Rock Shelter,” Cayo District, Belize. Investigadores de la Cultura Maya 1:46–70.Google Scholar
Bonor, Juan Luis, and Glassman, David M. 1999 La arqueología y el estudio de los restos humanos en “Caves Branch Rock Shelter,” Distrito de El Cayo, Belice. Mayab 12:18–30.Google Scholar
Bonor, Juan Luis, and Klemm, Carolina Martínez 1995 Trabajos recientes en la región de Caves Branch, Distrito’de El Cayo, Belice. Investigadores de la Cultura Maya 4:250–267.Google Scholar
Brady, James E. 1989 An Investigation of Maya Ritual Cave Use with Special Reference to Naj Tunich, Peten, Guatemala. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Brady, James E., Begley, Christopher, Fogarty, John, Sherman, Donald J., Luke, Barbara, and Scott, Ann 2000 Talgua Archaeological Project: A Preliminary Assessment. Mexican 22 (5): 111–118.Google Scholar
Brown, M. Kathryn, Garber, James F., and Hartman, Christopher J. 1999 Middle Preclassic Ritual Behavior in the Maya Lowlands: An Example from Blackman Eddy. In The Belize Valley Archaeology Project; Results of the 1998 Field Season, pp. 41–67. Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos.Google Scholar
Brown, Linda A., and Romero, Luis Alberto 2002 Lugares sagrados para ritos de la cacería. In XV Simposio de investigaciones arqueológicas en Guatemala, Museo Nacional de Arqueológica y Etnología en Guatemala, 2001, edited by Juan Pedro Laporte, Héctor L. Escobedo, and Bárbara Arroyo, pp. 771–778. Museo Nacional de Arqueológica y Etnología de Guatemala, Guatemala City.Google Scholar
Carot, Patricia 1989 Arqueología de las cuevas del norte de Alta Verapaz. Cuadernos de Estudios Guatemaltecos 1, Centre D’Etudies Mexicaines et Centroaméricaines, Mexico.Google Scholar
Coe, Sophie D. 1994 America’s First Cuisines. University of Texas Press, Austin.Google Scholar
Covich, Alan P. 1983 Mollusca: A Contrast in Species Diversity from Aquatic and Terrestrial Habitats. In Pulltrouser Swamp: Ancient Maya Habitat, Agriculture, and Settlement in Northern Belize, edited by B. L. Turner II and Peter D. Harrison, pp. 120–139. University of Texas Press, Austin.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eliade, Mircea 1958 Patterns in Comparative Religion. Sheed and Ward, New York.Google Scholar
Ferguson, Josalyn 1999a Salvage Excavations of the Cahal Uitz Na Ballcourt. In The Western Belize Regional Cave Project, A Report of the 1998 Field Season, edited by Jaime J. Awe, pp. 45–52. Department of Anthropology Occasional Paper No. 2. University of New Hampshire, Durham.Google Scholar
Ferguson, Josalyn 1999b The Ballgame at Baking Pot, Belize: An Analysis of the Ballcourts at a Maya Civic Centre. Unpublished Master’s thesis, Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough.Google Scholar
Ferguson, Josalyn, Christensen, Tina, and Schwake, Sonja 1996 The Eastern Ballcourt, Cahal Pech, Belize: 1995 Excavations. In Belize Valley PreClassic Maya Project: Report on the 1995 Field Season, edited by Paul F. Healy and Jaime J. Awe, pp. 34–58. Department of Anthropology Occasional Papers in Anthropology, No. 12. Trent University, Peterborough.Google Scholar
Ferguson, Josalyn, and Gibbs, Sherry A. 1999 Report on the 1998 Excavations at Actun Uayazba Kab, Roaring Creek Valley, Belize. In The Western Belize Regional Cave Project, A Report of the 1998 Field Season, edited by Jaime J. Awe, pp. 112–145. Department of Anthropology Occasional Paper No. 2. University of New Hampshire, Durham.Google Scholar
Friedel, David, Scheie, Linda, and Parker, Joy 1993 Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman’s Path. William Morrow and Company, New York.Google Scholar
Gann, Thomas W. F. 1929 Discoveries and Adventures in Central America. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York.Google Scholar
Gibbs, Sherry A. 1998 Human Skeletal Remains from Actun Tunichil Muknal and Actun Uayazba Kab, Cayo District, Belize. In The Western Belize Regional Cave Project, A Report of the 1997 Field Season, edited by Jaime J. Awe, pp. 71–92. Department of Anthropology, Occasional Paper No. 1. University of New Hampshire, Durham.Google Scholar
Gillespie, Susan D. 1991 Ballgames and Boundaries. In The Mesoamerican Ballgame, edited by Vernon L. Scarborough and David R. Wilcox, pp. 317–345. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson.Google Scholar
Girard, Raphael 1962 Los Mayas Eternos. Antigua Libería Robredo, México, D.F. Google Scholar
Graham, Elizabeth, McNatt, Logan, and Gutchen, Mark A. 1980 Excavations in Footprint Cave, Caves Branch, Belize. Journal of Field Archaeology 7:153–172.Google Scholar
Griffith, Cameron S. 1998 Excavations and Salvage Operations in Actun Tunichil Muknal and Actun Uayazba Kab, Roaring Creek Valley, Belize. In The Western Belize Regional Cave Project, A Report of the 1997 Field Season, edited by Jaime J. Awe, pp. 39–70. Department of Anthropology, Occasional Paper No. 1, University of New Hampshire, Durham.Google Scholar
Grollig, Francis Xavier 1959 San Miguel Acatán, Huehuetenango, Guatemala: A Modern Maya Village. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington.Google Scholar
Halperin, Christina T. 2000 Caches in Caves: Ancient Maya Use of the Pachychilus Shell. Paper presented at the 23rd Annual Midwest Mesoamericanist Meeting, Urbana-Champaign.Google Scholar
Halperin, Christina T. 2001 Ritual Cave Use by the Ancient Maya: An Investigation of Jolja’ Cave in Chiapas, Mexico. Research Report to the National Speleological Society, Huntsville.Google Scholar
Halperin, Christina T. 2002 Caves, Ritual, and Power: Investigations at Actun Nak Beh, Cayo District, Belize. Unpublished Master’s thesis, Department of Anthropology, Florida State University, Tallahassee.Google Scholar
Hammond, Norman 1975 Lubaantun: A Classic Maya Realm. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Monograph No. 2. Harvard University, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Hartman, Christopher J., Kathryn Brown, M., Pagliaro, Jonathan, and McWilliams, Jennifer 1999 The 1998 Investigations on Structure Bl at the Site of Blackman Eddy, Belize; Results of Excavations in Operations 15n, 18a, and 19a. In The Belize Valley Archaeology Project; Results of the 1998 Field Season, pp. 68–91. Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos.Google Scholar
Healy, Paul F. 1992 The Ancient Ballcourt at Pacbitun, Belize. Ancient Mesoamerica 3:229–293.Google Scholar
Healy, Paul F., Emery, Kitty, and Wright, Lori 1990 Ancient and Modem Maya Exploitation of the Jute Snail (Pachychilus). Latin American Antiquity 1:170–183.Google Scholar
Hunn, Eugene. S. 1977 Tzeltal Folk Zoology: The Classification of Discontinuities in Nature. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Ishihara, Reiko 2000 Site Description of Actun Chechem Ha, Belize. Appendix to Ceramics from the Darkness: An Investigation of the Ancient Maya Ritual Cave Activity at Actun Chechem Ha, Cayo District, Belize. Unpublished Bachelor’s thesis, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba.Google Scholar
Jamison, Thomas R., and Wolff, Gregory A. 1994 Excavations in and around Plaza A-I and A-II. In Xunantunich Archaeological Project: 1994 Field Season, edited by Richard M. Leventhal, pp. 25–47. University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Lee, Thomas A. Jr., and Clark, John E. 1988 Oro, Tela y Xute: investigaciones arqueológicas en la región Cancum, Colonia Las Delicias, Chiapas. Arqueología 4:7–46.Google Scholar
Lee, Thomas A. Jr., and Hayden, Brian 1988 San Pablo Cave and El Cayo on the Usumacinta River, Chiapas, Mexico. Papers of the New World Archaeological Foundation, No. 53. BrighamYoung University, Provo.Google Scholar
MacLeod, Barbara, and Puleston, Dennis E. 1978 Pathways into Darkness: The Search for the Road to Xibalbá. In Tercera Mesa Redonda de Palenque, Vol. 4, edited by Merle Greene Robertson and Donnan Call Jeffers, pp. 71–77. Herald Printers, Monterey.Google Scholar
Mirro, Michael J., and Awe, Jaime J. 1999 Report on Investigations on Ledge One at Actun Yaxteel Ahau, Roaring Creek Valley, Cayo District, Belize. In The Western Belize Regional Cave Project: A Report of the 1999 Field Season, edited by Jaime J. Awe, pp. 166–185. Department of Anthropology Occasional Paper No. 2. University of New Hampshire, Durham.Google Scholar
Moholy-Nagy, Hattula 1978 The Utilization of Pomacea at Tikal, Guatemala. American Antiquity 43:65–73.Google Scholar
Nations, James D. 1979 Snail Shells and Maize Preparation: A Lacandon Maya Analogy. American Antiquity 44:568–571.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palacio, Joseph O. 1977 Excavations at Hokeb Ha, Belize. Belize Institute for Social Research and Action. Occasional Publication No. 3. Belize.Google Scholar
Pendergast, David M. 1969 The Prehistory of Actun Balam, British Honduras. Art and Archaeology Occasional Papers No. 16. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.Google Scholar
Pendergast, David M. 1971 Excavations at Eduardo Quiroz Cave, British Honduras (Belize). Art and Archaeology Occasional Paper No. 21. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.Google Scholar
Prufer, Keith M. 2002 Communities, Caves, and Ritual Specialists: A Study of Sacred Space in the Maya Mountains of Southern Belize. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.Google Scholar
Redfield, Robert 1941 The Folk Culture of Yucatan. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.Google Scholar
Reents-Budet, Dorie, and MacLeod, Barbara 1997 The Archaeology of Petroglyph Cave, Cayo District, Belize. Manuscript on file, Belize Department of Archaeology, Belmopan, Belize.Google Scholar
Sánchez, José Rómulo 1993 Un reporte preliminar sobre la Cueva de los Huesos, región de Naj Tunich, Petén. In III Simposio de investigaciones arqeológicas en Guatemala, 1989, Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, edited by Juan Pedro Laporte, Héctor L. Escobedo, and Sandra Villagrán de Brady, pp. 163–168. Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Asociación Tikal, Guatemala.Google Scholar
Seibert, Jeffery 1999 Excavations in the Ballcourt at Minanhá, Belize. In Archaeological Investigations in the North Vaca Plateau, Belize: Progress Report of the First (1999) Field Season, edited by Gyles Iannone, Jeffery Seibert, and Nadine Gray, pp. 29–40. Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterbrough.Google Scholar
Seler, Eduard 1904 Antiquities of Guatemala. In Mexican and Central American Antiquities, Calendar Systems and History, edited by Charles P. Bowditch, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 28:77–121. Washington, D.C. Google Scholar
Sheldon, Stephanie M. 1999 Public and Private Ritual at Ek Xux, Belize: 1998 Excavations in Core Structure 23. In The Maya Mountains Archaeological Project (MMAP): 1997 and 1998 Archaeological Operations in the Upper Bladen Drainage, edited by Peter Dunham, pp. 1–17. Department of Anthropology, Cleveland State University, Cleveland.Google Scholar
Sidrys, Raymond V. 1983 Molluscan Remains in Northern Belize. In Archaeological Excavations in Northern Belize, Central America, pp. 343–349. Institute of Archaeology, Monograph XVII. University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Stanchly, Norbert, and Song, Rhan-Ju 1995 A Report on the Human and Faunal Remains from the Caves Branch Rockshelter, Belize. In Cavesbranch Fieldschool Reader, edited by Juan Luis Bonor and Carolina Martinez, pp. 10–15. Manuscript on file, Belize Department of Archaeology, Belmopan, Belize.Google Scholar
Stanchly, Norbert, and Iannone, Gyles 1997 A Royal Appetizer? The Use of the Freshwater Jute Snail (Pachychilus Sp.) in Maya Ritual Feasting. Paper presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Nashville.Google Scholar
Thompson, J. Eric S. 1970 Maya History and Religion. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.Google Scholar
Wilson, Richard 1995 Maya Resurgence in Guatemala: Q’eqchi’ Experiences, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.Google Scholar