Disovery of ancient Mayan caves linked to the entrance to the Underworld
Two articles about the recent discovery of caves believed to have been thought by the Maya to have been passageways to the Underworld, Xibalba.
From the Thaindian News.
Mexico City, August 18 (ANI): A team of archaeologists has claimed to have discovered a legendary route inside caves and sinkholes in Mexico that leads to several underground Mayan buildings.
According to Popol Vuh, the sacred Maya book, to enter the Maya underworld, Xibalba, a tortuous road had to be walked, and at the end, there was a lake with houses, where hard tests had to be accomplished.
Now, archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and Autonomous University of Yucatan (UADY), have found the route that leads to the Mayan buildings.
Guillermo de Anda Alanis, director of El Culto al Cenote en el Centro de Yucatan (Cult to Cenote in Central Yucatan) initiative, revealed that finding these buildings has been a pleasant surprise, as they seem to corroborate what historical sources described.
Caves have been modified to house temples probably dedicated to Xibalba cult; considering they are located in hard to reach places, buildings are complex, some shafts reaching 30 or 40 meters long, he said.
Some of these spaces kept burials and offerings, such as earthenware and sculptures.
Dating ceramic tests reveal that they were offered between Pre Classic and Post Classic periods, most of them belonging to Late Classic (750-850 AD) age.
According to Alanis, in one cave a Sacbe, or ritual roadway has been discovered.
It is almost 100 meters long, well cemented and constructed as Chichen Itza one. It runs from East to West, and turns where a body of water is found, to end in front of a stalactite and stalagmite column that reminds a Ceiba tree, Maya symbolic ancestor.
This is proof of an intentional trace, similar to Balakanche cave, at Chichen Itza, said Alanis. (ANI)
From the LA Times.
MEXICO CITY -- Mexican archaeologists have discovered a maze of stone temples in underground caves, some submerged in water and containing human bones.
Clad in scuba gear and edging through narrow tunnels, researchers found the stone ruins of 11 sacred temples at the site on the Yucatan peninsula.
Archaeologists say the Maya believed the underground complex of water-filled caves leading into dry chambers, including an underground road stretching about 330 feet, was the path to a mythical underworld known as Xibalba.
According to the Popol Vuh, an ancient Maya scripture, the route was full of obstacles, including rivers filled with scorpions and houses shrouded in darkness or swarming with shrieking bats, said Guillermo de Anda, one of the lead investigators at the site. The souls of the dead were said to have followed a mythical dog who could see at night, he said Thursday.
"It is very likely this area was protected as a sacred depository for the dead or for the passage of their souls," De Anda said.
Different Maya groups who inhabited what is now southern Mexico and northern Guatemala and Belize had their own entrances to the underworld that archaeologists have discovered at other sites, almost always in cave systems buried deep in the jungle.
Excavations at the Yucatan site over the last five months revealed stone carvings and pottery left for the dead. Scientists found one 1,900-year-old ceramic vase, but most of the artifacts date between AD 700 and 850.
"These sacred tunnels and caves were natural temples and annexes to temples on the surface," De Anda said.
Also, here's a link to an English translation of the Popol Vuh, the ancient Maya text, since it's mentioned in the articles: Popol Vuh.
What do you guys think? For some reason, I've always been particularly curious about the religious beliefs and burial practices of other cultures, especially ancient cultures.
From the Thaindian News.
Mexico City, August 18 (ANI): A team of archaeologists has claimed to have discovered a legendary route inside caves and sinkholes in Mexico that leads to several underground Mayan buildings.
According to Popol Vuh, the sacred Maya book, to enter the Maya underworld, Xibalba, a tortuous road had to be walked, and at the end, there was a lake with houses, where hard tests had to be accomplished.
Now, archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and Autonomous University of Yucatan (UADY), have found the route that leads to the Mayan buildings.
Guillermo de Anda Alanis, director of El Culto al Cenote en el Centro de Yucatan (Cult to Cenote in Central Yucatan) initiative, revealed that finding these buildings has been a pleasant surprise, as they seem to corroborate what historical sources described.
Caves have been modified to house temples probably dedicated to Xibalba cult; considering they are located in hard to reach places, buildings are complex, some shafts reaching 30 or 40 meters long, he said.
Some of these spaces kept burials and offerings, such as earthenware and sculptures.
Dating ceramic tests reveal that they were offered between Pre Classic and Post Classic periods, most of them belonging to Late Classic (750-850 AD) age.
According to Alanis, in one cave a Sacbe, or ritual roadway has been discovered.
It is almost 100 meters long, well cemented and constructed as Chichen Itza one. It runs from East to West, and turns where a body of water is found, to end in front of a stalactite and stalagmite column that reminds a Ceiba tree, Maya symbolic ancestor.
This is proof of an intentional trace, similar to Balakanche cave, at Chichen Itza, said Alanis. (ANI)
From the LA Times.
MEXICO CITY -- Mexican archaeologists have discovered a maze of stone temples in underground caves, some submerged in water and containing human bones.
Clad in scuba gear and edging through narrow tunnels, researchers found the stone ruins of 11 sacred temples at the site on the Yucatan peninsula.
Archaeologists say the Maya believed the underground complex of water-filled caves leading into dry chambers, including an underground road stretching about 330 feet, was the path to a mythical underworld known as Xibalba.
According to the Popol Vuh, an ancient Maya scripture, the route was full of obstacles, including rivers filled with scorpions and houses shrouded in darkness or swarming with shrieking bats, said Guillermo de Anda, one of the lead investigators at the site. The souls of the dead were said to have followed a mythical dog who could see at night, he said Thursday.
"It is very likely this area was protected as a sacred depository for the dead or for the passage of their souls," De Anda said.
Different Maya groups who inhabited what is now southern Mexico and northern Guatemala and Belize had their own entrances to the underworld that archaeologists have discovered at other sites, almost always in cave systems buried deep in the jungle.
Excavations at the Yucatan site over the last five months revealed stone carvings and pottery left for the dead. Scientists found one 1,900-year-old ceramic vase, but most of the artifacts date between AD 700 and 850.
"These sacred tunnels and caves were natural temples and annexes to temples on the surface," De Anda said.
Also, here's a link to an English translation of the Popol Vuh, the ancient Maya text, since it's mentioned in the articles: Popol Vuh.
What do you guys think? For some reason, I've always been particularly curious about the religious beliefs and burial practices of other cultures, especially ancient cultures.