UNDERGROUND PITS (CHULTUNES) IN THE SOUTHERN MAYA LOWLANDS: EXCAVATION RESULTS FROM CLASSIC PERIOD MAYA SITES IN NORTHWESTERN PETÉN

Abstract

Chultunes — underground pits carved into bedrock — have been reported by the hundreds in the Maya region, yet debate on their principal use continues to this day. Since chultunes have not yielded solid data to answer the questions posed by Maya archeologists, they are sometimes not completely excavated or reported in detail. This article presents a review of previous work on chultunes in the Maya lowlands, followed by the presentation of new data from six chultunes excavated at archaeological sites in northwestern Petén, Guatemala. I argue that, although these underground features were primarily used for utilitarian purposes, there is strong evidence that chultunes also had ritual importance to the ancient Maya. The variability in the shape, size, and associated cultural materials, including macrobotanical remains, justifies further in-depth investigations of chultunes. Archaeologists should consider investigating these features more systematically, as a larger comparative sample of chultunes could aid in assessing whether there are local patterns of construction, use, and reuse. Thus, excavations of these features should be encouraged.

Hervir y moler: descifrando técnicas de elaboración de alimentos a través del análisis microscópico de los granos de almidón recolectados en contextos arqueológicos mesoamericanos

“…En este recinto, seis implementos de molienda (manos y metates) fueron recuperados y analizados para la identifi cación de granos de almidón. Además, un extenso basurero fue ubicado detrás de la estructura principal, el cual contenía fragmentos de ollas, los cuales fueron examinados e incluidos a este estudio (Cagnato 2016).…”

Maya Cultural Landscapes and the Subterranean: Assessing a Century of Chultun Research

“…The excavation of these deposits has been important for documenting burials within chultuns, but most of the material removed has nothing to do with activities associated with the primary use of these features. The recovery of highly eroded sherds [29], for instance, is proof that this material was exposed on the surface before being washed into the chultun. Additionally, most excavations have not been successful in removing the intrusive material to expose the original ground surface.…”

“…The thinking that ritual is confined to centers is curious in view of ethnographic documentation of planting ceremonies and household ritual in rural areas [27,28]. However, Cagnato [29] makes precisely the same point in saying:…”

“…This failure to consider ritual practices is even evident in a recent discussion of chultuns that acknowledges the possibility of a religious function. Cagnato [29] provides interesting data on paleobotanical material recovered through flotation of soils excavated from chultuns at El Peru and La Corona. She notes that many of the species are not food plants, which should raise a red flag about a storage function.…”

“…Cagnato [29], citing a personal communication from James Fitzsimmons, notes that there are two additional stelae paired with chultuns at Zapote Bobal, which Fitzsimmons says in affect depict the ruler standing at the edge of the underworld. Cagnato [29] also recognizes these chultuns as functioning as symbolic caves. There is an analogous association of stelae with the subterranean at Copan.…”