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The Ancient Maya Drought Cult: Late Classic Cave Use in Belize

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Holley Moyes ,
Jaime J. Awe ,
George A. Brook  and
James W. Webster
Holley Moyes
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85745 (hmoyes@email.arizona.edu)
Jaime J. Awe
Affiliation:
Belize Institute of Archaeology, Belmopan, Belize (jaimeawe@yahoo.com)
George A. Brook
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 (gabrook@uga.edu)
James W. Webster
Affiliation:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Atlanta, GA 30303
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Abstract

Caves were used as ritual venues by the ancient Maya from the Early Preclassic to the Postclassic period. These sites have been intensively investigated, but little research has been devoted to changes in cave use over time. Work at Chechem Ha Cave in western Belize investigates transformations in ritual practice occurring between the Early and Late Classic periods using an explanatory framework that incorporates high-definition archaeological research with a paleoclimate reconstruction derived from speleothems. This is one of the first projects to directly link these data to the archaeological record. We also introduce new methodology to evaluate changes in ritual practice using use-intensity proxies and artifact patterning. These data demonstrate that Late Classic transformations were coeval with climatic drying. The phenomenon was identified in this case study, and the pattern is prevalent throughout the eastern lowlands suggesting that an ancient Maya drought cult was initiated at this time. We provide the first evidence that there was a failed ritual response to environmental stress, implying that a loss of faith in Maya rulership contributed to the downfall of political systems. This is an important finding for collapse theories that include ideological causations.

Las cuevas fueron utilizadas por los antiguos mayas como lugares rituales desde el Preclásico Temprano Medio hasta Postclásico. Si bien han sido intensamente investigadas, poco se ha hecho para entender los cambios temporales en el uso de las cuevas. Las investigaciones en Chechem Ha, una cueva ubicada Belice occidental, aportan al conocimiento sobre las transformaciones en la práctica ritual entre los períodos Clásicos Temprano y Final a través de la investigación arqueológica de alta definición conjuntamente con la reconstrucción paleoclimàtica derivada de estalagmitas; siendo este uno de los primeros proyectos que realiza este intento. También introducimos una nueva metodología para evaluar los cambios en la práctica ritual empleando proxies de uso intensivo y patrones en los artefactos. Estos datos demuestran que las transformaciones del Clásico Final covarían con el proceso de desertización climático. Esto fue identificado en este caso y el patrón es frecuente a través de las tierras bajas orientales sugiriendo que el antiguo culto maya de la sequía comenzó durante esos momentos. Proporcionamos la primera evidencia de una respuesta ritual fallida al estrés ambiental, dando lugar a una pérdida de fe en las reglas y liderazgos mayas contribuyendo así a la caída de los sistemas políticos. Este es un dato importante dentro de las teorías del colapso maya ya que tienen en cuenta las causalidades ideológicas de la población.

Type
Part 2: Themed Section on Mesoamerica
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , March 2009 , pp. 175 - 206
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 by the Society for American Archaeology.

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