Under the supervision of Dr. Karl A. Taube, Reiko Ishihara will investigate the role of the prominent grieta (chasm) at the major Late Classic Maya center of Aguateca, Peten, Guatemala. The grieta runs through the center of the site, measuring approximately 800 m long, 50 - 60 m deep, and 5 - 15 m wide. The central location of the grieta, the incorporation of the grieta in the place name hieroglyph, and the presence of architectural modifications within the grieta suggest the importance of this landmark at Aguateca. As Dos Pilas's twin dynasty, Aguateca was occupied for a relatively short period of time during the mid-Late Classic (ca. A.D. 700 - 830) at a time of regional political instability. It has been posited that the location for Aguateca was selected for its defensively advantageous topographic features including the grieta (Inomata 1995). Ishihara's archaeological excavations in the subterranean karst feature will determine the function of the chasm, and its usage will be contextualized in the well documented political history of Aguateca. The study will be among the first to test the sacred landscape model, which suggests that sites and buildings were constructed in close association with caves (Brady 1997). As a cave feature, if the grieta was an integral element in the sacred landscape, material remains from ritual activities are expected to be uncovered because rituals are frequently conducted at sacred landmarks. However, if the grieta served non-religious, practical purposes, then evidence of non-ritual activities such as of warfare or household midden deposits will be found.
Research focusing on cave features in Mesoamerica, particularly at major political centers, is important anthropologically because it examines the intersection of religion and the socio-political dimensions of society. It is now clear that caves were places of ritual significance, but how cave use figured into the politics and social lives of the ancient Maya people remains obscured. For landscape studies, this research will contribute to the recent theoretical discussions on the socio-symbolic dimensions of landscapes as well as on landscapes as dynamic facets of culture. This dissertation project will move the young discipline of Mesoamerican cave archaeology beyond simplistic and static notions of caves as a passive background for (ritual) activities to be performed. Understanding the nature of grieta usage combined with the contextualization of the uses within the culture history will enable a more robust reconstruction of the social and political lives of the ancient inhabitants at Aguateca.
Besides addressing scientific questions, the project will provide an opportunity for both the author and Guatemalan archaeology students to be trained in the field methods of cave archaeology, an as yet underrepresented area of study. Additionally, working as project excavators, the local Q'eqchi Maya people will learn of their culture history and the scientific significance of archaeological sites. This knowledge is hoped to contribute to the ongoing development of tourism in the Petexbatun region, and to instigate interest in developing archaeo-tourism at cave sites including the Aguateca grieta.
