Juxtlahuaca Ruler (M Lachniet)
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Juxtlahuaca (), or Xiuxtlahuaca (), is a cave and
archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...
in the
Mexican state A Mexican State (), officially the Free and Sovereign State (), is a constituent federative entity of Mexico according to the Constitution of Mexico. Currently there are 31 states, each with its own constitution, government, state governor, a ...
of
Guerrero Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...
containing
mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...
s linked to the
Olmec The Olmecs () or Olmec were an early known major Mesoamerican civilization, flourishing in the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco from roughly 1200 to 400 Before the Common Era, BCE during Mesoamerica's Mesoamerican chronolog ...
motifs and iconography. Along with the nearby
Oxtotitlán Oxtotitlán is a natural rock shelter and archaeological site in Chilapa de Álvarez, Mexican state of Guerrero that contains murals linked to the Olmec motifs and iconography. Along with the nearby Juxtlahuaca cave, the Oxtotitlán rock pa ...
cave, Juxtlahuaca walls contain the earliest sophisticated painted art known in
Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...
, and only known example of non-
Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...
deep
cave art In archaeology, cave paintings are a type of parietal art (which category also includes petroglyphs, or engravings), found on the wall or ceilings of caves. The term usually implies prehistoric art, prehistoric origin. These paintings were often c ...
in Mesoamerica.


The cave

The Juxtlahuaca site is located some 45 km southeast of the state capital
Chilpancingo Chilpancingo de los Bravo (commonly shortened to Chilpancingo; ; Nahuatl: Chilpantzinco ()) is the capital and second-largest city of the Mexican state of Guerrero. In 2010 it had a population of 187,251 people. The municipality has an area of ...
in what is now a National Park. The entire cave system is slightly over 5 km. The caves, also called Grutas de Juxtlahuaca ("Grottos of Juxtlahuaca"), are a favorite destination of spelunkers. The caves are open to the public, but a local guide is required. The site's paintings have been estimated to be over a kilometre down a long cavern: descent times are roughly two hours and some passages are partially filled with water.


The paintings

The most well-known of the cave art is Painting 1, which features a large bearded man with a black cloak, a striped tunic, and an elaborate headpiece. The arms and legs are covered with
jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
fur, and a small jaguar tail is even visible dangling down. The man is brandishing a
trident A trident (), () is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. As compared to an ordinary spear, the three tines increase the chance that a fish will be struck and decrease the chance that a fish will b ...
at a much smaller figure crouched to his side and is carrying a long snake or snakelike object. This 2 meter (6 foot) tall painting is one of the rare Olmec-style portrayals of human-on-human dominance, which some researchers interpret as a scene of
human sacrifice Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease deity, gods, a human ruler, public or jurisdictional demands for justice by capital punishment, an authoritative/prie ...
. Also of note in Juxtlahuaca is a painting of a red Feathered Serpent with green plumes, near a red jaguar whose large ears and eyes give it a youthful cast. A design that has provisionally been interpreted as a temple was found on a stalagmite. The cave paintings have been known since at least the 1920s, but were first professionally documented in the early 1960s by Gillett Griffin of
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
and Carlo T. E. Gay, an Italian businessman. Archaeologist
Michael D. Coe Michael Douglas Coe (May 14, 1929 – September 25, 2019) was an American archaeologist, anthropologist, epigraphy, epigrapher, and author. He is known for his research on pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, particularly the Maya civilization, Maya, an ...
has estimated that the paintings "might probably be Early Preclassic (1200-900 BC, uncalibrated)" in date. Juxtalhuaca is, so far as is known, unassociated with any large town of that period. It is also not known how Olmec-influenced art came to be painted hundreds of kilometres (or miles) from the
Olmec heartland The Olmec heartland is the southern portion of Mexico's Gulf Coast of Mexico, Gulf Coast region between the Tuxtla mountains and the Olmec archaeological site of La Venta, extending roughly 80 km (50 mi) inland from the Gulf of Mexico coastline ...
. Caves are prominent on many Olmec-style monuments: several Olmec "
altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...
s" depict priests or rulers emerging from caves, and monuments and reliefs at the archaeological site of
Chalcatzingo Chalcatzingo is a Mesoamerican archaeology, archaeological site in the Valley of Morelos (municipality of Jantetelco) dating from the Formative Period of Mesoamerican chronology. The site is well known for its extensive array of Olmec-style monum ...
, to the north of Juxtlahuaca, also feature cave motifs.


Other artifacts

A dozen skeletons have been found in the so-called Hall of the Dead, located midway between the entrance and the paintings. From their positions, some extended and some in a fetal position, and their condition, covered with a stalactite crust, the skeletons are assumed to be ancient interments. Some have been partially buried as a result of a cave-in.Coe (1968), p. 99. Just before the paintings, a 250-foot (80 m) artificial canal was cut into the red clay floor of the cave. The purpose of this canal is not known.


See also

*
Maya cave sites Mayan cave sites are associated with the Mayan civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Beliefs and observances connected with these cave sites persist among some contemporary Mayan communities. Many of the Mayan caves served religious purposes. ...
* Olmec influences on Mesoamerican cultures * Teopantecuanitlan


Notes


References

* Coe, Michael D. (1968) ''America's First Civilization'', American Heritage Publishing, New York. *Coe, Michael D. (2002); ''Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs'' London: Thames and Hudson. *Coe, Michael D. (2005);
Image of an Olmec ruler at Juxtlahuaca, Mexico
, ''Antiquity'' Vol 79 No 305, September 2005. *Diehl, Richard A. (2004) ''The Olmecs: America's First Civilization'', Thames & Hudson, London. *Griffin, Gillett G. (1978)
Cresterías of Palenque
, Third Palenque Round Table, eds. Robertson, Merle Greene; Jeffers, Donnan Call. *Grove, David C. (2000) "Caves of Guerrero (Guerrero, Mexico)", in ''Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: an Encyclopedia'', ed. Evans, Susan; Routledge. * Lachniet, Matt
Slide show on Juxtlahuaca cave
; University of Nevada - Las Vegas, accessed February 2007. Archived fro
the original
o
20 July 2011
*Stone, Andrea (1997
"Regional Variation in Maya Cave Art"
''Journal of Cave and Karst Studies'', April 1997, p. 33-42. {{coord, 17, 26, 21.36, N, 99, 9, 34.03, W, display=title Mesoamerican sites Cave sites in Mesoamerican archaeology Olmec sites Caves of Mexico Wild caves Archaeological sites in Guerrero Landforms of Guerrero