Maya Crocodilians: Intersections of Myth and the Natural World at Early Nixtun-Ch'ich', Petén, Guatemala

This essay pursues a four-pronged, interdisciplinary approach in considering the possibility that the unusual layout of the lowland Maya site of Nixtun-Ch'ich' in the lakes region of central Petén, Guatemala, might have been modeled on the scaly back of a crocodile. Part 1 summarizes the biological characteristics of crocodilians, particularly Crocodylus moreletii, and their habitats in lowland Mesoamerica. Part 2 reviews interpretations of these reptiles in myth and art, and exploitation of the creature in the lakes area. Third, the ceremonial core of Nixtun-Ch'ich', established in the Middle Preclassic (800–400 BCE) period, is discussed. It exhibits an unusual grid of corridors creating a landscape resembling the bony plates of a crocodilian's back, and a natural cenote-like fosa is proposed to relate to a mythical "Starry Deer Crocodile." Part 4 discusses probable social and political characteristics of early community leaders who planned this site's atypical layout, viewed through selectionist theories of cooperation and costly signaling. Designed to mimic the mythical crocodile of creation, Nixtun-Ch'ich' illustrates the role of ideological power in the development of complex societies.