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

James Brady; Wendy Layco

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16

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

James Brady, Wendy Layco

Published in International Journal of Archaeology (Volume 6, Issue 1)

Received: 1 August 2018 Accepted: 15 August 2018 Published: 21 September 2018

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Abstract

The function of chultuns, man-made subterranean chambers, in the southern Maya lowlands has been debated for over a century, with food storage being the most widely accepted proposal. Experimental archaeology shows, however, that none of the major Maya subsistence crops can be stored in chultuns because of their high humidity. Maya archaeology is currently at an impasse, espousing a storage function that is refuted by the data. Cave archaeology, with its intimate knowledge of subterranean space, has a decidedly different view. Ethnohistorical sources and ethnography document the fact that holes, even those dug for mining, are seen by the Maya as being caves, so one should expect chultuns to have had a religious function. Furthermore, in actual practice, there is considerable overlap between chultuns and caves, with a number of chultuns being identified as natural caves exhibiting an artificial entrance carved into them. Additionally, a number of chultuns are large enough that they could be classified as man-made caves. Religious functions have been repeatedly overlooked because of archaeologists’ insistence on a utilitarian function and further exacerbated by ignorance of Maya religion and ritual. It is shown that many chultuns have cosmological alignments, being placed along center lines or centered under structures or plazas. In proposing that chultuns functioned as sites of household ritual, considerable evidence is mustered to support an explanation that is more in accord with a realistic anthropological view of the Maya. The implications for sacred landscapes are profound in that thousands of sacred landmarks would be added to every site.

Published in	International Journal of Archaeology (Volume 6, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16
Page(s)	46-55
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Cave, Chultun, Maya, Religion, Ritual, Sacred Landscape

References

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James Brady, Wendy Layco. (2018). Maya Cultural Landscapes and the Subterranean: Assessing a Century of Chultun Research. International Journal of Archaeology, 6(1), 46-55. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16

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James Brady; Wendy Layco. Maya Cultural Landscapes and the Subterranean: Assessing a Century of Chultun Research. Int. J. Archaeol. 2018, 6(1), 46-55. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16

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James Brady, Wendy Layco. Maya Cultural Landscapes and the Subterranean: Assessing a Century of Chultun Research. Int J Archaeol. 2018;6(1):46-55. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16

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@article{10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16,
  author = {James Brady and Wendy Layco},
  title = {Maya Cultural Landscapes and the Subterranean: Assessing a Century of Chultun Research},
  journal = {International Journal of Archaeology},
  volume = {6},
  number = {1},
  pages = {46-55},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ija.20180601.16},
  abstract = {The function of chultuns, man-made subterranean chambers, in the southern Maya lowlands has been debated for over a century, with food storage being the most widely accepted proposal. Experimental archaeology shows, however, that none of the major Maya subsistence crops can be stored in chultuns because of their high humidity. Maya archaeology is currently at an impasse, espousing a storage function that is refuted by the data. Cave archaeology, with its intimate knowledge of subterranean space, has a decidedly different view. Ethnohistorical sources and ethnography document the fact that holes, even those dug for mining, are seen by the Maya as being caves, so one should expect chultuns to have had a religious function. Furthermore, in actual practice, there is considerable overlap between chultuns and caves, with a number of chultuns being identified as natural caves exhibiting an artificial entrance carved into them. Additionally, a number of chultuns are large enough that they could be classified as man-made caves. Religious functions have been repeatedly overlooked because of archaeologists’ insistence on a utilitarian function and further exacerbated by ignorance of Maya religion and ritual. It is shown that many chultuns have cosmological alignments, being placed along center lines or centered under structures or plazas. In proposing that chultuns functioned as sites of household ritual, considerable evidence is mustered to support an explanation that is more in accord with a realistic anthropological view of the Maya. The implications for sacred landscapes are profound in that thousands of sacred landmarks would be added to every site.},
 year = {2018}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Maya Cultural Landscapes and the Subterranean: Assessing a Century of Chultun Research
AU  - James Brady
AU  - Wendy Layco
Y1  - 2018/09/21
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16
T2  - International Journal of Archaeology
JF  - International Journal of Archaeology
JO  - International Journal of Archaeology
SP  - 46
EP  - 55
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7595
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16
AB  - The function of chultuns, man-made subterranean chambers, in the southern Maya lowlands has been debated for over a century, with food storage being the most widely accepted proposal. Experimental archaeology shows, however, that none of the major Maya subsistence crops can be stored in chultuns because of their high humidity. Maya archaeology is currently at an impasse, espousing a storage function that is refuted by the data. Cave archaeology, with its intimate knowledge of subterranean space, has a decidedly different view. Ethnohistorical sources and ethnography document the fact that holes, even those dug for mining, are seen by the Maya as being caves, so one should expect chultuns to have had a religious function. Furthermore, in actual practice, there is considerable overlap between chultuns and caves, with a number of chultuns being identified as natural caves exhibiting an artificial entrance carved into them. Additionally, a number of chultuns are large enough that they could be classified as man-made caves. Religious functions have been repeatedly overlooked because of archaeologists’ insistence on a utilitarian function and further exacerbated by ignorance of Maya religion and ritual. It is shown that many chultuns have cosmological alignments, being placed along center lines or centered under structures or plazas. In proposing that chultuns functioned as sites of household ritual, considerable evidence is mustered to support an explanation that is more in accord with a realistic anthropological view of the Maya. The implications for sacred landscapes are profound in that thousands of sacred landmarks would be added to every site.
VL  - 6
IS  - 1
ER  -

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James Brady

Department of Anthropology, California State University, Los Angeles, USA
Wendy Layco

Department of Anthropology, California State University, Los Angeles, USA

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James Brady, Wendy Layco. (2018). Maya Cultural Landscapes and the Subterranean: Assessing a Century of Chultun Research. International Journal of Archaeology, 6(1), 46-55. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16

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James Brady; Wendy Layco. Maya Cultural Landscapes and the Subterranean: Assessing a Century of Chultun Research. Int. J. Archaeol. 2018, 6(1), 46-55. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16

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James Brady, Wendy Layco. Maya Cultural Landscapes and the Subterranean: Assessing a Century of Chultun Research. Int J Archaeol. 2018;6(1):46-55. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16

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@article{10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16,
  author = {James Brady and Wendy Layco},
  title = {Maya Cultural Landscapes and the Subterranean: Assessing a Century of Chultun Research},
  journal = {International Journal of Archaeology},
  volume = {6},
  number = {1},
  pages = {46-55},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ija.20180601.16},
  abstract = {The function of chultuns, man-made subterranean chambers, in the southern Maya lowlands has been debated for over a century, with food storage being the most widely accepted proposal. Experimental archaeology shows, however, that none of the major Maya subsistence crops can be stored in chultuns because of their high humidity. Maya archaeology is currently at an impasse, espousing a storage function that is refuted by the data. Cave archaeology, with its intimate knowledge of subterranean space, has a decidedly different view. Ethnohistorical sources and ethnography document the fact that holes, even those dug for mining, are seen by the Maya as being caves, so one should expect chultuns to have had a religious function. Furthermore, in actual practice, there is considerable overlap between chultuns and caves, with a number of chultuns being identified as natural caves exhibiting an artificial entrance carved into them. Additionally, a number of chultuns are large enough that they could be classified as man-made caves. Religious functions have been repeatedly overlooked because of archaeologists’ insistence on a utilitarian function and further exacerbated by ignorance of Maya religion and ritual. It is shown that many chultuns have cosmological alignments, being placed along center lines or centered under structures or plazas. In proposing that chultuns functioned as sites of household ritual, considerable evidence is mustered to support an explanation that is more in accord with a realistic anthropological view of the Maya. The implications for sacred landscapes are profound in that thousands of sacred landmarks would be added to every site.},
 year = {2018}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Maya Cultural Landscapes and the Subterranean: Assessing a Century of Chultun Research
AU  - James Brady
AU  - Wendy Layco
Y1  - 2018/09/21
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16
T2  - International Journal of Archaeology
JF  - International Journal of Archaeology
JO  - International Journal of Archaeology
SP  - 46
EP  - 55
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7595
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20180601.16
AB  - The function of chultuns, man-made subterranean chambers, in the southern Maya lowlands has been debated for over a century, with food storage being the most widely accepted proposal. Experimental archaeology shows, however, that none of the major Maya subsistence crops can be stored in chultuns because of their high humidity. Maya archaeology is currently at an impasse, espousing a storage function that is refuted by the data. Cave archaeology, with its intimate knowledge of subterranean space, has a decidedly different view. Ethnohistorical sources and ethnography document the fact that holes, even those dug for mining, are seen by the Maya as being caves, so one should expect chultuns to have had a religious function. Furthermore, in actual practice, there is considerable overlap between chultuns and caves, with a number of chultuns being identified as natural caves exhibiting an artificial entrance carved into them. Additionally, a number of chultuns are large enough that they could be classified as man-made caves. Religious functions have been repeatedly overlooked because of archaeologists’ insistence on a utilitarian function and further exacerbated by ignorance of Maya religion and ritual. It is shown that many chultuns have cosmological alignments, being placed along center lines or centered under structures or plazas. In proposing that chultuns functioned as sites of household ritual, considerable evidence is mustered to support an explanation that is more in accord with a realistic anthropological view of the Maya. The implications for sacred landscapes are profound in that thousands of sacred landmarks would be added to every site.
VL  - 6
IS  - 1
ER  -

Copy | Download