I began working in caves in the Belize Valley and then moved over to the highland-lowland interface around Cancuen for my dissertation research, and I have to say that I've been spoiled by all of the artifact-ey goodness that is the archaeological remains in the caves in these two areas.

So imagine my surprise when I went caving in Chiapas with one of my profs. The community of Chenalho (located near Zinacantan and Chamelco) not only has nearly a millennium of occupation by the Tzotziles but is also full of myths regarding caves, as well as records of modern and historical cave use. It's also named after a cave (the town's name means "The Cave of Water"). So when I went there I was expecting to find lots of stuff.

We went to several caves, including the one that probably gave the town its name (although the locals insist that the town was named after a cave underneath the town that has since disappeared), and nothing. Well, not exactly nothing--one cave was next to an old house that has since fallen down and the entrance was sealed off with bucket-fulls of dirt and mid-20th century garbage. The only evidence of use that we found, in fact, was a giant looters' hole in an entrance, but with no evidence that there had been anything taken out.

I'm planning to go back sometime soon (probably next spring) and will keep working there, but as the region seems to have been a backwater for most of its history, we're probably not going to find much archaeological data. The ethnographic work, however, is a different matter. The region is fascinating and there is a strong sense of respect for the subterranean world there (unlike in Q'eqchi' land), and there are caves which are still in use by the locals for different kinds of ritual and magics, which will make for fascinating research. We'll see what happens.