HUMAN SKELETAL REMAINS OF THE ANCIENT MAYA IN THE ...

108harsh effects of the active environment of these caves. An underground river flowsthrough this entire cave system. The effects of fluvial activity, especially during therainy season, are evident in the caves as well as on the skeletal material. For example,the displacement of two portions of the same femoral shaft is documented in Cueva deRío El Duende. It is not clear whether the flow of the river was responsible for the 150-m displacement, yet this displacement illustrates the movement that may have occurredin these caves. The flow of water in these caves represents one of the most dynamictaphonomic processes that have shaped their archaeological record. Evidence of thecommingling and displacement of skeletal elements, as well as signs of erosionalweathering over time represent the direct effects of this river system on the skeletalmaterial. Several elements clearly show the effects of the karstic environment asdeposits of calcification on the surfaces of the bones. There is also evidence of thenatural burial of smaller elements under the mud of the cave floor. This, as we will see,may affect the interpretation of the activity occurring in these caves. It is clear that thearchaeological record represented in the artifactual and human material has undergoneconsiderable disturbance over time. This undoubtedly obscures the interpretation of thepossible types of activities responsible for the deposition of the human remains.Other taphonomic agents that have acted on this sample include animaldisturbance and evidence of continued human activity within these caves. There isevidence of animal gnawing and other activity on a few skeletal elements from thiscollection. Human activities such as archaeological excavations, looting, and thepossible re-use of these underground spaces by the Maya have likely disrupted the