NEW EVIDENCE OF ANCESTOR VENERATION AT THE SITE OF LAS RUINAS DE ARENAL

Abstract

Recent investigations of a Preclassic E Group at Las Ruinas de Arenal have shed light on transformations in ritual practices from the Middle Preclassic to the Late Preclassic period. Our excavations at the site to date have uncovered a series of offerings and three burials on centerline of the E Group architectural assemblage suggesting a complex history of ritual practice at the heart of the Arenal community. The Preclassic burials are of particular importance as they illustrate a pattern of reentry and bone retrieval, thus, indicating early ancestor veneration practices by at least the Middle Preclassic. In this paper, we discuss the burial data and highlight patterns that are suggestive of venerative practices. By tracing the ritual history at this sacred location, we gain a better understanding of major transformations that occurred in Maya society.