Settlement Configuration and Cosmology: The Role of Caves at Dos Pilas

Cross-culturally, settlement location is celebrated in group mythology, raising the possibility that cosmological factors may play a role in the selection of site location. Using ethnographic sources, a model of modern Maya sacred geography is constructed that indicates that caves played an important role in settlement selection and layout. This model was tested for prehistoric settlement patterns at Dos Pilas. A thoroughgoing pattern of locating architecture in relation to caves was found. Data indicate that the pattern may be widespread, and the implications for our understanding of Maya sites are discussed.