Testing the Waters: Tzeltal Maya Rituals, Reconnaissance, and Survey of Lakes in the Lacanhá Basin, Chiapas, Mexico

Ritual practices associated with bodies of water are well known and have been the focus of several research projects in Maya regions of Mexico. In the Northern Lowlands, for example, cenotes were and are important natural and cultural resources for prehispanic as well as for modern peoples. Based on our underwater archaeological research, we have found that ritual activities were present in other Maya regions, such as the Lacanha River basin. The recovery of ceramic sherds in the lagoons in the area of Nueva Palestina, Ocosingo, Chiapas, and ethnographic studies here suggest a continuation of the ancient to modern ritual practices associated with bodies of water. This new interdisciplinary work also allows us to know more about the ancient inhabitants of the Lacanha River basin where few systematic archaeological studies have been conducted.