Espacios sagrados, espacios profanos. Cuevas mayas del centro-oriente de Yucatán

The Archaeological Remains In The Subterranean Caves Connected By Underground Streams And Rivers Located On The Coast And In The Central Area Of The Yucatan Peninsula. From The Perspective Of Symbolic Archaeology, The Author Formulates Interpretations On The Variability And The Type Of Ritual Activities Carried Out Inside The Caves, Before, During And After The Spanish Conquest. The Mayans Knew The Labyrinthine System Of The Caverns, Which They Considered Created By Extraordinary Forces In Mythical Times; That Is Why They Used Them As Spaces For The Development Of Rites Of Birth, Baptism, Pregnancy, Cure And Esotericism And Even Of Political And Social Control. According To Ancient Mayan Thought, These Caves Preserved The Creative Force, The Primal Energy And Fertility; In Them, Large Water Tanks Accumulated, Zealously Guarded By Supernatural Beings. This Book Studies In Detail Aspects Of These Underground Formations As Sources Of Water, Materials For Construction, Work Areas And Even Housing Banks. Also Their Importance As Sacred Spaces; Portals That Linked Men With The Immaterial World, Giving Them The Ability To Jump From A Cosmic World To Another. Introducción -- Cuevas, Símbolos Y Rituales -- El área De Estudio -- Cuevas Del Centro-oriente De Yucatán -- Cuevas Complejas: Aktunkoot Y Chanchen -- El Complejo Simbólico De Las Cuevas Mayas -- La Cueva En Otras Regiones Mayas -- Conclusiones. Luis Alberto Martos López. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 315-328).