Mayan Elite: Why Their Teeth Were Buried in Remote Caves Instead of Graves

The teeth of prominent Mayans were extracted and stored in caves well away from their burial sites. This act may have been a way to venerate ancestors or ensure their safe passage to the underworld.

During the Classic period (250-900 CE), Maya civilizations flourished across present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and northern Honduras. While they communicated in various languages, they shared a unified political and religious framework that emphasized lineage and ritual legitimacy. Consequently, the deceased held significant importance, with living family members often keeping the remains of ancestors within their homes, either beneath the floor or within the walls.

Esther Brielle and her team from Harvard University analyzed remains from various burial sites in Belize during the Classic period to trace familial connections among those interred. They successfully extracted genomic data from hundreds of samples and employed radiocarbon dating to ascertain the lifespan of each individual.

The investigation uncovered that 341 samples corresponded to 107 distinct individuals, while skeletal elements of 24 of those individuals were located in two separate locations. These sites included tombs situated in the plaza beneath the Mayan dwelling known as Mukrebal Tzul, and Batub Cave, located 26.5 kilometers away across the Maya Mountains.

Within the cave, a total of 226 teeth belonging to at least 24 individuals were discovered arranged near the remains of adult women. One particular individual had her head replaced by a vessel containing a jade bead. Fragments of a skull, possibly belonging to her, and a toothless mandible were found close to her pelvis alongside a large assortment of teeth and an inverted bowl containing five cocoa seeds. An ornate orange bowl adorned with mythical hummingbird and snake motifs sat nearby.

Genome analysis indicates this woman was an ancestor of individuals interred in elite tombs. Collections of grave goods suggest her association with the royal lineage, as noted by Brielle and her colleagues, who opted not to comment further.

The researchers suggest that other members of high society might have feigned ancestral connections to bolster their status. “They may have linked themselves biologically or ideologically to their ancestors to legitimize their power,” states Mirco de Tomassi from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany.

Genomic evidence reveals that only elite members of Mukrebal society deposited teeth within the cave.

“Caves were considered sacred spaces as they served as entrances to the underworld, Xibalba,” asserts Angelina Locker from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. She speculates that elite individuals might have been the only ones permitted to enter this “mouth” of the underworld, a proposed site for spiritual communication and connection to the supernatural forces that the Maya believed animated their world.

Locker further posits that upper-class members may have visited the caves to honor their ancestors and confirm their safe arrival in Xibalba. Her research elaborates on how the Maya viewed the body as divided into four components, one of which exists in the mouth and symbolizes the soul’s breath.

Asta Land, a professor at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland, remarked that teeth may have been selected due to their resilience, as they held significant cultural importance within Maya society. Dental modifications were common, and individuals would either repair or embed jewels in their teeth. “We believe a portion of the teeth may have come from burial sites, but it’s also feasible they were extracted during one’s lifetime,” she added.

Rocker concluded that the teeth hold symbolic significance related to corn kernels and the idea of rebirth. “This may have represented a way for the Maya to extract a tooth and plant it in Xibalba’s mouth to facilitate that person’s rebirth,” she said.

Regardless of the reasons behind the teeth’s deposition, it likely required several days of arduous travel through challenging terrain to reach the cave. De Tomassi likens this to Mayan pilgrimage practices, such as visiting sacred cenotes to leave offerings at Chichen Itza in Mexico.