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searchable PDF - Association for Mexican Cave Studies

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y the thick later of sediment.A roughly pyramidal structure is located approximately20 m north of the cave entrance. Though itdoes not appear as if the building is positioned overany portion of the cave below (since the cave entranceis located along the cave’s northwestern periphery), itis nevertheless close enough to be directly associatedwith Actun Tsub. No wells or additional structureswere observed in the immediate vicinity.4.10: ACTUN BACActun Bac (“cave of the bones”) is located only250 m from the center of San Juan de Dios. The cavewas so named because the bones of a few dogs thathad become trapped in the cave are present in the entrancearea. The following description is the result ofa brief visit to the cave.The cave entrance, which measuresapproximately 3 m in diameter, is verticalin nature but the 2 m descent does not requirethe aid of a rope or ladder. Beneaththe entrance is a natural bedrock and flowstonemound with a series of steps leadingdown to the flat, soil-covered floor of thecave. The main chamber of the cave is approximately17 m in diameter. At the baseof the stairway, a cleared path leads northto a seemingly featureless portion of thecave. An additional short set of stairspasses through an entryway and arrives atthe edge of a 3 m-deep pothole. I did notdescend into this pit, however it did notappear to contain any cultural material.Along the western wall of the cave is a deepniche with stones stacked in front of it.Several of the stones appear to have beenpulled away, and if an offering was at onetime concealed in the niche, it has sincebeen removed.Actun Bac contains a light scatteringof sherds. Due to the cave’s proximity tothe community and its ease of access, it isnot surprising that little cultural materialwas observed. Evidence of speleothembreakage and removal is present and nearlyall of the cave’s stalactites are missing. Thelowest point of Actun Bac lies above thewater table (as measured in San Juan deDios). There<strong>for</strong>e, water was not present inthe cave, nor does it appear to ever accumulate.AMCS Bulletin 12 — Chapter 4 814.11: ACTUN ZODZActun Zodz (“cave of the bats”) is located 3.2 kmsouth of El Naranjal. The cave is essentially a single,dry, roughly dome-shaped chamber (see figures 4.11.1and 4.11.2). The vertical entrance is rather wide andlocated towards the northern end of the cave. Beneaththe entrance is a debris mound, which is largely obscuredby a layer of <strong>for</strong>est litter. The mound appearsto have been heavily modified and a number of welldressedblocks were observed. Though little in the wayof terracing has been preserved, the lower portion ofthe mound’s slope is well defined. A haltun is locatedalong the slope, but it is unclear if it was placed there(since no stalactite was observed above) or if ittumbled down from its original position beneath theentrance drip line.The most notable feature of Actun Zodz is a prominentstalactite and the associated altar beneath it (seeFigure 4.11.1. Map of Actun Zodz. (Stippled stones are dressed.)

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