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70AMCS Bulletin 12 — Chapter 4first, these lines were assumed to be recent graffitibut it is difficult to be certain. Within the scratchedarea is a more deeply engraved image. This petroglyphconsists of a circle surrounded by a vulva-like wedge,two radiating lines, and four dots.Figure 4.5.19. Pak Ch’en Panel G-2 (drawing by D.Rissolo).Figure 4.5.20. Aktunkoot (after Martos López 1994b).Ceramics and ChronologyApproximately twenty percent of the cave’s surfacewas surveyed and collected. The judgmental samplingstrategy involved the division of lots based on the locationof pathways as well as areas beneath rock artpanels and surrounding the pool. As one would expectfrom a cave that is both accessible and currentlyin frequent use, no ancient whole vessels were recovered.It is conceivable that recent visitors to the cavehave removed even large and intrinsically attractivesherds, as only small sherds were observed during thesurvey. In total, 105 sherds were collected, of which35 were unidentifiable due to their small size and/oreroded condition (see table 4.5.1). When analyzed,there did not appear to be any meaningful differencesbetween lots in terms of sherd frequency, form andtype. However, the greatest concentration was not associatedwith the rock art portion of the cave, but ratherfound at the base of steep flowstone slope just southeastof the entrance. Pottery was also recovered fromthe debris mounds that flank the pool—confirming themounds’ cultural origin. However, it is impossible todetermine whether or not the inclusion of the sherdsin these mounds is coeval with the period of thepottery’s manufacture or use, since sherds continue towash into the pool today (and the pool continues to bemaintained).The ceramic material ranges from the MiddlePreclassic to the Late Classic periods. The earliesttypes include Achiote Unslipped, Tancah Burdo, andSierra group ceramics. Incised bichromes, such asDzilam Verde and Carolina, were also present. EarlyClassic material included Saban Burdo and CetelacFiber-tempered. The only Late Classic type representedis Sibal Buff Polychrome. Vessel form wasdifficult to discern due to the small size of the sherdsand their lack of diagnostic attributes. However, ollasappear to have been the most common form, and mostof these were plain-ware water jars. Sierra Red cajeteswere also well represented, but only three tecomatesherds were identified.Though Pak Ch’en is surrounded by low residentialplatforms, the only recorded settlement in the areais the little known site of Kantunilkin. In Sanders’survey of the region (1955) he describes the generalcharacteristics of the site and later reports on the resultsof his cursory ceramic analysis (1960:199–200).The material he recovered included examples of LatePreclassic to Early Classic pottery such as TancahBurdo, Chancenote Striated, and Sierra Red. Taubealso observed sherds from an Early Classic basal flangepolychrome vessel at the site (1995:52). Additionally,