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 o f modern Maya sacred geography is constructed that indicates that cave s played an important role in settlement selection and layout. This mo del was tested for prehistoric settlement patterns at Dos Pilas. A tho roughgoing pattern of locating architecture in relation to caves was f ound. Data indicate that the pattern may be widespread, and the implic ations for our understanding of Maya sites are discussed.