Temporal Changes in the Mortuary Ritual Use of the Caves Branch Rockshelter, Belize

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Research Year:  2007
Culture:  Maya
Chronology:  Preclassic - Classic
Location:  Cayo District, Belize
Site:  Caves Branch Rockshelter (CBR)

Table of Contents

Abstract
Resumen
Introduction
Maya Mortuary Ritual in Caves
The CBR Skeletal Population
The Vessel Assemblage
Results and Discussion
Acknowledgements
List of Figures
Sources Cited

Abstract

AMS dates derived from human skeletal remains at the Caves Branch Rockshelter revealed a mortuary sequence spanning nearly 800 years. The assemblage of whole vessels, which were interred as grave goods, is entirely restricted to the Late Preclassic period. The AMS dates confirmed the ceramic chronology proposed by Reents (1980) and Gifford (1974) and were also instrumental in demonstrating that the mortuary use of the rockshelter persisted for hundreds of years after people discontinued leaving diagnostic ceramic grave goods. Almost no grave goods were found with later burials, suggesting a change in mortuary ritual. The long span of the site's mortuary use matched the time span of scattered ceramic sherds found throughout the matrix, which also extend into the Late-Terminal Classic period. These ceramic offerings may be viewed as material culture used in rituals related to the site's mortuary function. In addition, the lack of grave goods is often used as indirect evidence of sacrifice for contemporaneous individuals found in dark zone contexts and thus the rockshelter seems to provide evidence that this variation in mortuary ritual is not necessarily indicative of sacrifice.

Resumen

Las fechas del AMS, que derivaron de los restos esqueléticos humanos en las Caves Branch Rockshelter, revelaron una secuencia mortuoria que atraviesa casi 800 años. La reunión de navíos enteros, que fueron enterrados como bienes (mercancías), está restringida al Último Período Preclásico. Las fechas de AMS confirmaron la cronología de cerámica propuesta por Reents (1980) y Gifford (1974) y contribuyeron decisivamente a la demostración para la cual el empleo del mortuorio de rockshelter persistió durante unos cientos de años después de que la gente descontinuara el diagnóstico de los bienes. Casi ninguno de los bienes fue encontrado en entierros posteriores, sugiriendo un cambio del ritual mortuorio. El largo espacio del empleo del mortuorio del sitio se asoció con el lapso de tiempo de sherds cerámica encontrado en todas las partes de la matriz, que también se extienden en el Período Tardío Terminal Clásico. Estos ofrecimientos de cerámica pueden ser vistos como la cultura material usada en rituales relacionados con el sacrificio para individuos contemporáneos encontrados en contextos oscuros de la zona y así el rockshelter parece proporcionar evidencia de que esta variación en el ritual mortuorio no es necesariamente indicativo de sacrificio.

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Submitted 08/19/2008 by:
Gabriel Wrobel
University of Mississippi
gwrobel@olemiss.edu

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