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searchable PDF - Association for Mexican Cave Studies

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AMCS Bulletin 12 — Chapter 4 67Panel D (figure 4.5.11)To the right of the entrance of the small poolchamber, is a panel with at least four distinct images.It should be mentioned here that certain portions ofthe panel are either highly weathered or some engravingsare extremely shallow. Alternative recordingmethods might reveal additional petroglyphs in thefuture. In the upper right-hand corner is a double trianglewith wing-like elements. This image might representthe body and wings of a Colonial period Hapsburgeagle (see figure 4.5.12b) like those recorded by Stoneat Dzibichen (Stone 1995:74–86). It also bears a strikingresemblance to a petroglyph (figure 4.5.12c) fromActun Uayazba Kab, Belize (Helmke and Awe1998:149–154). This latter image, in turn, is similarto part of a scene from Miramar, which was recordedby Veronique Breuil and published by Stone (1995:fig. 4-83). To Stone, Breuil described this componentof the scene to be the head of a creature, whose tailemerges on the right (Stone 1995:86).Below and to the left is a small circular face, whichis connected to an up-turned double “U” element. Inthe bottom left-hand portion of the panel is an imagethat might represent the sun, an eye, or perhaps thehead and crest of a bird. This image appears to continueto the left but was difficult to accurately record.Panel E (figure 4.5.13)Panels E and F are located above the entrance tothe pool chamber. Panel E, which is the upper of the two,consists of graceful volutes and curvilinear elements.Figure 4.5.11. Pak Ch’en Panel D (drawing by D. Rissolo).Figure 4.5.12. a. Miramar (after Stone 1995:fig. 4-83,adapted from drawing by V. Breuil). b. Dzibichen (afterStone 1995:fig. 4-73). c. Actun Uayazba Kab (afterHelmke and Awe 1998:fig. 6).At the far right is a cruder petroglyph that might representa serpent. Located atop a nearby volute is asimple face. To the left are a series of deeply engravedvolutes and a set of deeply pecked bars and dots. Thislatter grouping closely resembles a series of bars anddots from Cueva Xcosmil (Strecker 1985: fig. 10),which are shown in the upper left-hand corner of figure4.5.14. It is unclear whether or not these elements(including the vertically oriented example from Lotunin figure 4.5.10) represent simple faces or bar and dotnumeration. At the top of the panel are twopossible vulva motifs. Directly below is ascrolled petroglyph that might be a lazy-Smotif or an unfinished or badly eroded face.In the bottom left-hand corner is a facewhich was executed in relatively high relief.This face, which is almost heartshaped, has a circle on its left side and atri-lobed element below its chin.Simple frontal faces, like those foundthroughout Pak Ch’en and in CuevaXcosmil, are common and widespread inMesoamerican cave art. They are oftencrudely executed and range from circularto almost simian or skull-like in shape. Inthe Maya area, such faces have been recordedelsewhere in Yucatán (BonorVillarejo and Sánchez y Pinto 1991; seealso Stone 1997:34–38), Belize (Helmkeand Awe 1998:154–159; see also McNatt

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