Baking Pot Codex Restoration Project, Belize

Tomb 2

Tomb 2 was located adjacent to the eastern wall of Tomb 1, a slightly later interment than Tomb 2.  The capstones were 96 cm below the natural ground surface and four layers of chert flakes, scattered in 2 - 4 cm thick layers, were recovered between the top of the tomb and the surface of the platform. A rough count of the chert suggests that between 4000 to 5000 flakes were deposited above the capstones. Unlike Tomb 1, Tomb 2 was filled with dirt. This feature probably saved the burial from being destroyed by looters who attempted to vandalize the structure on a Saturday evening when we were absent from the site. The burial chamber was constructed with crudely cut limestone blocks and capped by several larger limestone slabs. The chamber measured 2.4 meters long, 0.9 meters wide, and 1.2 meters in height.

The skeletal remains in Tomb 2 were not very well preserved. Despite their poor condition the individual was female and over 45 (Kokkalis, personal communication). The individual had a number of abscesses and carries on 8 of her 13 remaining teeth. The position of the bones indicated that the burial had a north-south orientation with head to the south (Figure 2, below).

Click on image to enlarge.

Although Tomb 2 contained less jade objects than Tomb 1, the burial had a large number of interesting and unique grave goods. Inside the chamber there were 8 ceramic vessels, a single, painted, mother of pearl shell, two plain mother of pearl shells, 12 carved spondylus shells, two canine pendants, two jade beads, more than a dozen small jade fragments that were glued onto the carved shell objects, a single jade earflare, a fragment of hematite, as well as two perishable stucco objects with painted designs.

Twelve, pink, spondylus shells were discovered under the skeletal remains. Many of these were elaborately carved while some were simple beads and earflares. The two large spondylus earflares, approximately 8 cm in diameter, were found on either side of the skeleton, one close to the skull and the second closer to the pelvis. These flares had separate plugs (3 cm in diameter) that likely extended through the ear lobes. Numerous thin jade fragments were discovered near the flares, suggesting that the jades were probably once glued to the shell to give the effect of solid jade earrings.

Two shells, carved in a form that resembles the "Mundo Maya" logo, were discovered on the eastern section of the grave, near the pelvic area of the skeleton (Figure 3, shown below). These shells were less than 2 cm long and less than 0.3 cm thick. The function of these objects is unknown, but it is possible that they served as pendants. It is also possible they were sewn or glued onto the individual’s attire.

Two carved shell objects of unknown function were also discovered (Figures 4 and 5, shown below). Each object is comprised of two sections, and while the relationship between these two pieces cannot be functionally determined, the image suggests the orientation. The upper piece is an unusual shape, with a square top and a concave lower section that allowed for easy fitting with a flat, circular piece. One side has a stylized mollusk, depicted somewhat like a coyote, crawling out of its shell (Taube, personal communication, 2005). The shell iconography is similar to expressions of bivalve shells in Teotihuacán murals, and is usually depicted in the watery border sections. The creature is depicted in profile with outstretched arms, similar in style to animals depicted at Teotihuacán and Cacaxtla (Taube and Headrick, personal communication, 2005). Its’ eye is made from a small jade chip that was still in place when the shells were uncovered. On the opposite side, the carved image is a serpent, with an open jaw and large eye orbit. Taube and Headrick believe that the serpent image and associated chevron border look strongly Teotihuacano, although there are similarities with Cacaxtla as well. Both images can be related to the watery underworld, appropriate, considering their location inside a tomb. In addition, the placement of these images on a Spondylus shell further strengthens their connection to the underworld.

Another shell object was finely carved in the form of a typical Maya face (Figure 6, below). This object was discovered face up in the west central section of the tomb. The profiled face has a small mother of pearl shell fragment flanking a small circular piece of pyrite that forms the eye. The face on the shell is looking to the left, mouth slightly open, recessed chin, but no hair detailed. The function of this shell object is unknown, although it may have been used as decoration for clothing.

Several other pink spondylus shell items of various sizes and shapes, and a single, orange colored, shell spindle whorl, were also found with the carved shells. The former objects had no recognizable forms thus it is difficult to determine their function. Along the north end of the chamber were two complete, 8 cm long, mother of pearl shells. One of these shells had two holes carved through it, while the second had three holes. North of these shells were two canine teeth which also had suspension holes carved through them. It is possible that all these objects were used on one necklace or that they were attached to a perishable item, like clothing, that decomposed in the tomb. Beneath these items we discovered more fragments of painted stucco, but unlike the stucco on the southern side of the tomb (to be discussed below), only traces remained of this material. We removed the fragments of green and red paint and gave them to Harriet Beaubien for analysis.

Two jade beads and a single jade earflare were discovered in the tomb. The jade earflare is 2.6 cm in diameter and was located on the southeastern corner of the chamber, away from the location of the skull. The skull appears to have been moved from its original location, so it is therefore quite possible that this earflare was also moved from its original position sometime in the past. The two jade beads were located near the left humerus and were likely worn as part of a necklace. One of the beads had two holes drilled through it, while the other had three.

The eight ceramic vessels included five Saturday Creek Polychrome dishes, two Sotero Red-brown vessels, and a bichrome censer. The Sotero Red-brown vessels were discovered on the southern side of the tomb. All of the polychromes had painted animal figures on the inside of the vessels. Three of these vessels were stacked one on top of the other on the southeastern corner of the tomb, and the other two were stacked above a monochrome vase and bowl in the southwestern corner of the tomb.

Click on image to enlarge.

Click on image to enlarge.

The uppermost Saturday Creek Polychrome dish was broken into several sections, and parts of it were scattered throughout the tomb. Most interestingly, pieces of this dish were found in association with the Terminal Classic censer, suggesting that it may have been moved during the intrusion into the Tomb. This vessel contains the image of a waterlilly jaguar (Reents-Budet, personal communication) and appears to have been placed above a second Saturday Creek Polychrome vessel with a bird figure (Figures 7 and 8, shown above). The third, fourth, and fifth polychromes were located east of the latter dish, and were stacked on top of one another. The uppermost vessel had the image of an armadillo painted on it, the second vessel had a painting of a dead deer (with the tongue hanging out), and the third vessel contained the image of two snakes rapped around the inner perimeter of the vessel with their heads and tails appearing in the center of the dish (Figures 9, 10 and 11, below).

Click on image to enlarge.

Click on image to enlarge.

Click on image to enlarge.

Directly underneath the vessel with the bird figure and the polychrome of unknown design were two Sotero Red-brown vessels. The vessel closest to the skull was a bowl, while the one farthest south was a vase. Inside the vase were the remains of a stuccoed object of unknown design. The stucco was painted red, green, black, and white and several partial designs were noted on the crumbled remains. A second, larger, area with stuccoed remains was uncovered underneath the two Sotero vessels. The second stuccoed material measured approximately 30 by 40 cm.  It consisted of several layers of stucco painted in green, white, red, black and yellow paint. Several flakes had images of possible glyphs and other presently undetermined designs. In an effort to preserve these remains the layers of stucco were collected and analyzed by Harriet Beaubien of the Smithsonian Institute. Her results are discussed below.

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