Finding Drama in Bones: Looking Beyond Identification in Ritual Faunal

Abstract

The Midnight Terror Cave faunal assemblage is unusual in that fish make up 21% of the vertebrate fauna, including four individual parrotfish (Sparisoma viride). This analysis examines why this species was selected and explores a performative interpretation that contextualizes these remains within ancient Maya ritual drama. In addition to being part of the "cult of the sea", the parrotfish was selected because of its blue or green color which symbolizes water, rain, and abundance. The fish's color fades quickly after death so it is clear that the fish had to be transported alive from the sea coast to the cave. The requirements for the trip are outlined. The analysis lays out the expenditures made for elite ritual and provides a glimpse into the drama of such sacrifices. 1

Fresh Observations on Ancient Maya Ceramic/Textile Composites: Technological, Contextual and Conceptual Reconsiderations

“…At Dos Pilas, we have evidence of large quantities of wealth and imported items being deposited in caves as part of rituals (Brady, 2005). We also see significant expenditures being made for ritual by the elites of Tipan Chen Uitz, Belize who arranged for the capture and transport alive of four large, blue/green parrot fish some 50 km inland for sacrifice at Midnight Terror Cave (Brady et al, 2019). So, it is possible that items like composite ceramics and ceramic drums were costly.…”

Comparison of human and faunal enamel isotopes reveals diverse paleodiet and exchange patterns at the highland Maya Site of Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala

“…Unlike other regions of the world where the long-distance exchange of mammals contributed to subsistence activities and marketplace economies, mammals may have been primarily transported for ceremonial or ritual purposes among the Prehispanic Maya. There is evidence that marine fish were exchanged for subsistence purposes in the Yucatan (Jiménez-Cano and Masson 2016; Masson and Peraza Lope 2008), although evidence for marine fish exchange into Belize and the central Maya lowlands is rare and usually comprises brightly colored species like parrotfish that may have been used for special functions (Boileau and Stanchly 2020;Brady et al 2019). If ceremonial activities drove the need to acquire non-local species, which has been demonstrated previously with marine shells (see Sharpe 2019 for a review), this would indicate that rituals reinforced communication and the exchange of resources as well as ideas among the different parts of the Maya area.…”