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138AMCS Bulletin 12 — Chapter 7unreported cave just over the border in Yucatán. Here,a beautifully constructed stairway leads past similarfaces (figure 7.7) and terminates at the entrance to awell, deep within the cave (figure 7.8). Such stairwaysare also present in the cenotes of Mayapan (see Smith1953; see also Brown n.d.) and in caves along theQuintana Roo coast (see Martos López 1994a).Perhaps the most impressive expression of thispattern in the Yalahau region can be found at PakCh’en, where a stairway descends into the cave andguides the visitor along an extensive panel of carvedimages (see Chapter 4). Located on a boulder adjacentto the path is a profile of a figure that has beenidentified by Karl Taube as that of God C. Taube’sdescription of God C (1992:30) suggests that thepresence of his image in Pak Ch’en may have beenintended to designate the cave as a sacred place. Theappearance of God C on vessels, as seen on page 100dof the Madrid Codex, might designate the contents assuhuy ha (Karl Taube, personal communication 2001).Nearby is a figure that appears to exhibit both Chaakand Tlaloc features, which Taube describes as a commonLate Postclassic development in rain god imagery(1992:133–136).Surrounding this figure are at least nine distinctvulva motifs. The depiction of female genitalia oftenappears at rock art sites throughout Mesoamerica (seeApostolides 1987:175–177; Stone 1995:74–86;Strecker 1987; Velázquez Morlet 1988:82; see alsoBrady 1989:42–53). Rands (1955:343–344) notes thatwater is conceptually associated with the genital area.The association of rain god imagery with vulva motifsis also found in Dzibichen (Stone 1995:74–86),which contains a similar stairway-pool arrangement.Here, vulva motifs, lightning serpents, and a codexstyledepiction of Chaak appear together on the cavewall. In Pak Ch’en, the pathway terminates at a smallpool. Located directly above the pool is a strikinglyrealistic rendering of a vagina that no doubt marks thespot as a watery, womb-like, and fertile place—thesacred epicenter of the cave.The use of space inside a cave, for the purpose offocusing attention on water, reflects a degree of specializedeffort that supersedes the strictly utilitarianexploitation of this important resource. This is evidentnot only in the deliberate positioning of stairways androck art, but also in the creation of relatively sophisticatedarchitectural features. Ceremonial architectureis not uncommon in caves in the Maya area. The platformin Cenote X-Coton (Smith 1953) and the miniaturetemples in the Cueva de Satachannah (Martos López1994a:77) and Aktun Na Kan (Leira Guillermo andTerrones González 1986) are telling examples of thetransposition of ceremonial architecture into the caveenvironment as well as the very system of meaningsattached to such an activity.A close evaluation of the terraced structure inActun Toh reveals that it is, in fact, a pyramid. Thoughit makes use of a natural slope and only appears to bepyramidal from a limited range of view, the mound’sterraced façade sufficiently represents the power inherentin such a structure. I would argue that thepresence of the pyramid in Actun Toh is significantfor two related reasons. Firstly, the structure complementsthe sanctity of this grand underground chamber. Secondly,it harnesses the potency of the humanly controlled,built environment. Just as Stone (1992) describes the“capturing” of natural forces through the constructionof ceremonial architecture, in Actun Toh we see thesymbolic expression of human authority over the naturalenvironment. Perhaps in this conceptual inversion,the cave/temple within the mountain/pyramid becomesthe mountain/pyramid within the cave/temple.I have no doubt that the replication of “cognizedspatial models” (Stone 2001) aptly characterizes thepositioning of cultural features within caves (see alsoMoyes and Awe 1998, 1999). The arrangement ofstructures, pathways, altars, and imagery, as well asthe placement of votive offerings in caves of theYalahau region is noticeably patterned and deliberate.However, I would stress that due to the physicallybounded nature of caves, the imposition or mediationof spatial order is, at some level, categorically differentFigure 7.8. Xca’ca’ Ch’en. Masonry stairway leading topool.