Association With Settlement
A desire to be near the sacred has influenced Mesoamerican settlement. Mountains and caves were important elements in Mesoamerican creation myths. Mesoamerican belief systems liken water to fertility and mountains give flowing water and rainfall through caves. Accordingly, these natural features were considered sacred and were sought out by Mesoamerican migrants looking for a new home. A cave could be considered an axis mundi if it marked the center of a village (Brady and Ashmore 1999: 127). The Late Postclassic site of Mayapan incorporated several cenotes into its ceremonial groups and the Cenote Ch’en Mul is at the site core. At Dos Pilas house platforms were often in front of cave entries and the tunnel went beneath the platform.
Read more about this topic: Maya Cave Sites
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