Biography, Function, and Iconographic Analysis of Two Effigy Cylinders from Maya Caves at Laguna Pethá, Chiapas

In this work, the iconography and cultural contexts of two duplicate Maya effigy cylinders reportedly found in caves and rock shelters at Lake Pethá, Department of Ocosingo, Chiapas, are studied. Following a comparative analysis, we tentatively identify a new regional Maya style of flanged (aletas) ceramic cylinders focused around the ancient Maya center of Toniná in the Ocosingo Valley. The iconographic attributes chronologically place the cylinders to around the Postclassic to Early Colonial period. Additionally, the application of archaeometry, specifically Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry (la-icp-ms) and Neutron Activation Analysis (naa) indicate that the two cylinders were likely made at the same time with the same clay. The results demonstrate the authenticity of the cylinders and their possible production by the same artist or ceramic workshop at Lake Pethá or nearby in the Ocosingo Valley.