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86AMCS Bulletin 12 — Chapter 4the natural shaft above the flowstone formationintrigued ancient visitors to thecave. The smoke of censers placed beneathit could have risen up into the shaft andemerged outside the alcove, creating aunique spectacle. As in Actun Zodz andActun Xux (described below) haltuneswere used to collect drip water which wasvalued for its pure and sacred qualities.4.17: ACTUN XUXFigure 4.16.2. Detail map of Actun Maas.itself. It is conceivable that the figure was removedfrom the alcove in the recent past. This would alsoexplain why the pedestal base was incomplete, sincethe portion of the base to which the figure’s legs wereattached was removed with the rest of the body.Earlier ceramic material was recovered from thealcove as well. Such types include Late PreclassicChancenote Striated and Late Classic to Terminal ClassicYaxuná Striated-preslate and Tekax Black-on-red.Cluster A was the only significant concentration ofnon-Chen Mul Modeled sherds and was located adjacentto the offertory feature.Discussion and Closing RemarksThe ceremonial function of Actun Maas is clearlyindicated by the presence of censers, and the alcovelikely served as an offertory site as early as the LatePreclassic. As is the case in Actun Zodz, a prominentcave formation was the focus in this otherwise dryrockshelter. This formation is culturally marked notonly by the stone feature beneath it, but also by thevessels that were at one time placed around it. PerhapsActun Xux (“cave of the wasps”) is arockshelter located approximately 1 kmsouth of the community of Ignacio Zaragoza.A crude stairway leads down to thefloor of an 11 m-wide shallow doline orsinkhole, which contains alcoves along itseastern periphery (see figure 4.17.1). Evidenceof minor terracing is also presentacross the entrance slope. The deepest alcoveextends 3 m into the wall of thesinkhole. Here, two haltunes were placedbeneath the drip line (figure 4.17.2). Oneof these receptacles has a low stalagmiticformation that corresponds to a cluster ofstalactite stumps and soda straws above. Alarge drapery or cluster of stalactites appearsto have been originally located abovethe haltunes as well but has since been brokenoff.A 4 m-deep vertical shaft, which is surrounded bya crude collar of stones, punctuates the floor of themain alcove. Two, roughly horizontal passages extendfrom the bottom of the shaft. This portion of ActunXux was not explored since I did not have the propergear on hand during my brief visit to the site.Along the back wall of the main alcove is a pileof stones. The majority of these stones have remainedin place for some time owing to their thick coating ofalgae. Other stones are bright white and appear to havebeen placed there recently. A local guide speculatedthat someone might have attempted to reshape the pileinto a tepezcuintle trap. A similar activity took placewithin a shallow alcove along the northern portion ofthe sinkhole. Here, a low dry-stone wall extends 2 mto the back of the alcove. Adjacent to this features is alarge, almost hallow, dome-shaped pile of stones andan additional low wall. All three features contain morerecent additions of large undressed blocks of stone.Although the original function of these stone featuresis unclear, local ejidatarios could offer no other explanationother than traps. A low circle of stones was