52 



9.13.0.0.0. Of 55 structure caches, 42 contained 

 marine objects. In fact, Moholy-Nagy notes that "the 

 contents of these caches . . . comprise most of the un- 

 modified shells known from Tikal" (M, pp. 72-74). 

 This is in strong contrast with Dzibilchaltun, where 

 shells in caches are frequent but form only a tiny 

 percentage of the total from the site. Comparison 

 between the two sites, however, is difficult. Although 

 the great mass of unworked shell from Tikal comes 

 from early Classic caches, this is a period of little 

 construction at Dzibilchaltun; and correspondingly 

 few caches have been found. The very large number 

 of caches from Dzibilchaltun are mostly of Late 

 Early period and Pure Florescent date; and where 

 these overlap the occupation of Tikal, caches at the 

 latter site are characterized by decreasing amounts 

 of raw-shell offerings. A very large variety of non- 

 shell marine material was obtained at Tikal, rela- 

 tively, apparently much more than at Dzibilchaltun, 

 although the former is more than ten times as far 

 from the sea. This includes pearls, several species 

 of corals, bryozoans, gorgonians, sea-urchin frag- 

 ments, a sand dollar, sponge, chunks of coquina, 

 stingray spines, and fish vertebrae, spines and scutes 

 (M, pp. 69—70, M— MS). Specific association of these 

 specimens is not yet available, although Moholy- 

 Nagy notes that they are more common in Late 

 Classic caches, when introduction of actual un- 

 worked shell become less frequent. 



At Piedras Negras, unworked shells played a less 

 prominent but nonetheless important role in the 

 composition of caches. Of 94 such offerings, 15-I- 

 contained shells of 8 marine, 2 freshwater and 2 

 land species: 



Cittanum pica ( i ) 

 Vermicularia spirata (2) 

 Crucibulum spinosum (i) 

 Area imbricata (2) 

 Area zebra (5) 

 Spondylus princeps (n ) 

 Ostrea sp. ( i ) 



Trachycardium murieatum (i) 

 Pomacea flagellata arata (i) 

 Pomaeea flagellata ghiesbreehti (4) 

 Euglandina deeussata I ^ -% 

 Choanopoma radiosum ( 



One cache contained a single piece of coral. Again 

 in strong contrast to Dzibilchaltun, Coe notes that 

 unworked shell and marine material have not been 

 found outside of offerings (C, pp. 55, 77-1 19). The 

 species that were brought in for this purpose, with 



MoLLUSCA IN THE MaYA LoWLANDS 



the exception of valuable Spondylus, were not suit- . 

 able for manufacture of jewelry. I 



Summarizing briefly, unworked molluscs and 

 other forms of marine life were included rarely to 

 frequently at different sites and different times as 

 components of the votive ofJerings we refer to as 

 caches. They are more frequent in caches than in 

 tombs, but never apparently an indispensible com- 

 ponent of the assemblages of offerings. 



Another but probably closely related form of 

 votive cult is found in the cenotes or freshwater 

 wells of the northern peninsula. The most famous 

 is that of the Sacred Well at Chichen Itza, first 

 explored by Edward H. Thompson in 1904, most 

 recently by the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia 

 e Historia of Mexico in cooperation with the Club 

 de Exploraciones y Deportes Acuaticos de Mexico 

 and the National Geographic Society of the United 

 States. None of the results have been completely 

 published (but cf. Lothrop, 1952; Tozzer, 1957; 

 Davalos H., 1961; Litdehales, 1961). Although an 

 immense quantity of pottery and artifacts of gold, 

 copper, jade, and other materials was introduced as 

 sacrificial offerings with human beings, few marine 

 animals or materials have been reported. Dr. J. Ladd, 

 who is studying Harvard's collections from the 

 Sacred Cenote, reports six molluscs of four species: 



Fissurella barbadensis (l) 

 Strombus pugilis ( I ) 

 Plewoploea gigantea (2) 

 Oliva reticularis (2) 



as well as several fragments of gorgonians obviously 

 brought from the sea.^ 



A smaller but much deeper cenote within the 

 ceremonial group at Dzibilchaltun, Cenote Xlacah, 

 has yielded, after several seasons of diving, a very 

 large collection of artifacts dating from Formative 

 times until virtually the present (Andrews, 1959, 

 1962; Marden, 1959). Most of this long series of 

 offerings date to the Late Early period and Pure 

 Florescent, when most of the ceremonial center was 

 built. Mixed with this large and rich assortment of 

 artifacts, forming, as it were, one continuous cache, 

 were 48 unworked marine molluscs of 20 species: 



3 Large intentional offerings of pottery have been found on 

 the floor of Lake Amatitlan in Guatemala (Borhegyi, 1959), 

 and Luis Marden informs me that large numbers of offertory 

 vessels in a very distinct tradition were encountered in a brief 

 hour of diving below the waters of Lake Flores (Peten-Itza) 

 in Guatemala. No material of marine origin was forthcoming. 



