A shaman's burial from an Early Classic cave in the Maya Mountains of Belize, Central America

Abstract

For the ancient Maya caves were fundamentally important locations in a sacred landscape linked to ancestors, creation myths and forces that animate the universe. Investigations in the Maya Mountains in southern Belize recovered data from a burial cave that contained the decapitated remains of a male sealed behind a masonry wall in a remote region away from any known pre-Columbian settlements. The deceased had been treated reverentially and was accompanied by a range of grave goods appropriate for the underworld setting. Data are presented that suggest the interred may have been a religious specialist or shaman in life.

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