Food Fire and Fragrance: A Paleoethnobotanical Perspective on Classic Maya Cave Rituals

This study draws on the underexploited resource of archaeobotany to add to our knowledge of Mayan cave ritual. The author publishes and analyses archaeobotanical results from seven cave sites in the Upper Belize Valley, comparing them with epigraphical, iconographic and ethnographical evidence, to build a picture of the symbolic use of plants in Mayan ritual. He also notes differences across the region, drawing a distinction between public and private manifestations of ritual.