Sacred Pathways The Importance of Caves in Maya Ritual and Ideology

Date of Award

2010

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Andrews, Anthony

Keywords

Caves, Maya, Ritual

Area of Concentration

Anthropology

Abstract

In the Maya tradition, caves are considered important parts of the sacred landscape. Mayan art and literature often depict caves as the portals between the human realm and the Underworld. Remains of religious rituals in caves have been recovered from sites all across Mesoamerica, pointing to a possible cave complex that extends as far back as the Preclassic Olmec (1200-400 BC). In this thesis, I will use Naj Tunich � a remote cave in the Guatemalan Pet�n � as a case study to illustrate the importance of caves in Maya ritual and ideology. Naj Tunich and the artwork found within embody many of the important relationships between ancient Maya culture and society, Maya archaeology, and Maya ethnography.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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