Cuyamel Caves

The caves were explored by archaeologist Paul Healy of the Peabody Museum at Harvard University. They included three limestone caverns: Matilde's Cave, Cuyamel Cave, and Portillo Cave. Healy entered the caves through a gap in the limestone that exposed a 15–30 m from the entrance to the cavern floors. He noted a main passage littered with recesses and alcoves located laterally from the main chamber. It was inside these recesses and side chambers that most of the ceramics and human remains were found. No excavations were undertaken as the ceramics and human remains were found superficially in situ inside these auxiliary chambers. The majority of ceramics and remains were found within the Cuyamel and Portillo caves.^[2]

Healy remarks that the vessels found in the caves are “distinctively Early and Middle Preclassic (Formative)”. A series of techniques were applied in these vessels, ranging from monochrome to bichrome to polychrome, from simple straight spout vessels to human and zoomorphic effigy vessels, etc. One remarkable vessel that originated in this area was a “black polished and excised cylinder vase” identical to Olmec vessels. Healy noted that similar black wares were characteristic of the Mesoamerican Formative period. He remarked on the “incised motif, a stylized jaguar face with tufted eyebrows, full frontal mouth, [that] appears clearly Olmec-inspired, if not actually Olmec manufactured”.^[2]