Exploring Maya Ritual Caves: Dark Secrets from the Maya Underworld.
Stanislav Chládek. AltaMira, Lanham, Maryland; 2011. ISBN
978-0-7591-1987-1. 5.5 by 9 inches, 228 pages, hardbound. $49.95.
In many parts of the Maya region, caves, or at least cenotes, were the
only reliable source of water, and everywhere they were the portal to
the underworld and its gods. The first half of the book is a general
description of current thought about the relationship of the Maya to
their caves. The second half describes visits the author made to many
of the best known archaeological caves of the area, especially in
Belize. There are numerous black-and-white photos throughout. They
generally could use more contrast, and in at least one case I was
unable to imagine the face allegedly carved into the stalagmite. These
carved faces are always so crude compared to the elaborate carving on
steles and building facades that I often wonder how many of them are
imaginary altogether.
Chládek is a retired chemistry professor, and his previous outdoor
experience was primarily in kayaks before he became interested in Maya
cave archaeology. His bibliography is extensive, and he acknowledges
assistance from some of the big names in Maya cave archaeology today
and "two anonymous reviewers," so the basic information in the first
half of the book should pretty well reflect current thinking. But then
within a few pages at the start of the second half I read of the three
types of cave bats, "insect, food, and vampire," of Cenote Dos Ojos
with over six hundred kilometers of passages (they wish), and of the
blind cave fish Ogilbia pearsel (for pearsei), which somewhat sapped
my confidence.
Exploring Maya Ritual Caves is expensive for such a small book aimed
at the general reader, but it is a fairly painless introduction to the
important role caves played in the beliefs and activities of the Maya.—
Bill Mixon
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I believe there are
15,747,724,136,275,002,577,605,653,961,181,555,
468,044,717,914,527,116,709,366,231,425,076,185,
631,031,296 protons in the universe and the same number of electrons.—
Sir Arthur Eddington
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