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Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Maya Stuff
USNews.com has an excellent piece about the dangers archaeology. The story focuses on Mayanist David Friedel in Guatemala. While a great read, it does little to dispel the myth that archaeology is not always about digging up lost tombs and dodging looters' bullets. It does, however, give a pretty good rundown of where archaeology is heading as a profession and what needs to be done to protect our past. (thanks to Anthony of ArchaeoBlog)
Also, the new issue of Archaeology magazine came in the mail today with an article I can't wait to sink my teeth into. It's about investigating ancient cenotes, or sinkholes, with the help of Spanish colonial accounts written at the time of contact:
Few archaeologists are trained for the dangerous diving required to search these deep, dark, underwater caverns, and thousands of sites across the peninsula still await discovery and exploration. Now, researchers at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán in Merida are trying to narrow their search for cenotes of enormous ritual importance to the Maya by using the detailed colonial accounts of human sacrifice.
There are many things about archaeology that excite me but cenotes have always been toward the top of the list. Perhaps the most well-known cenote is at Chichen Itza, the "Cenote of Sacrifice" (pictured).
Dredging has turned up everything from jade and gold jewelry to human bones. All thoughout and even after Chichen Itza's occupation, Maya pilgrims came from all over to toss sacrifices into the void. As you might of guessed, the cenote was believed to be a gateway into the underworld and its inhabitants.
Ref: Sharer, Robert J. The Ancient Maya, 5th ed. 1994. Stanford University Press: Stanford.
Posted by Will at June 21, 2005 07:11 PM in Maya Archaeology