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

14represented. A ceramic analysis revealed that most of the activity conducted within thecave might date to the Late Classic period (Pendergast 1970). One of the more tellingartifacts encountered in the cave entrance was a stalagmite in the form of a seated figure.Pendergast (1970) suggests that the figure may have represented an important idolworshipped by the ancient Maya, and may have played a role in the ritual use of thecave. A similar feature was also discovered in Footprint Cave in Belize; it consisted of amask with exaggerated and grotesque features (Graham et al. 1980). Unlike the figurefrom Río Frío Cave E, the mask appears to have been carved into a stone outcroppinginside the cave. A flat surface above the mask may have served as a surface for burningofferings, evidenced by a blackened area on the cave wall (Graham et al. 1980:169).Cave artThe artistic reproduction of important Maya figures, rituals, scenes of life anddeath, etc. have been depicted on a number of mediums, i.e. ceramic vessels, stelae,murals, and monumental architecture. As the archaeological record attests, the walls ofcaves have also been utilized for the creative efforts of the ancient Maya. Given theritual and sacred significance of the cave, the discovery of paintings and other rock art inthis subterranean context should not be a surprise. There are a handful of Maya cavesites that have produced some form of Maya cave painting and rock art. One of themore impressive collections of Maya cave paintings and hieroglyphic text werediscovered at the site of Naj Tunich.