A Funerary Cave at Moxviquil, Chiapas, Mexico

6 Urban Commerce in the Jovel Valley of Highland Chiapas

“…Although we were not able to obtain permission from local landowners to survey some of the surrounding hilltops, surface collections and excavations in five different areas indicate that during the Early Postclassic period, around 900 CE, residential settlement expanded onto the hilltops and ridges to its north and west (Paris 2012). A funerary cave on the neighboring hilltop to the west, contained over 7,000 human skeletal elements and a variety of offerings (Paris, López Bravo, and Serafin 2019). New residential settlements were also established during this period on the limestone escarpments abutting the volcanic dome of Huitepec, located on the southwestern edge of the Jovel Valley (Paris 2012).…”

“…Obsidian was the most common long‐distance trade item found in Jovel Valley households. Most obsidian objects were from the El Chayal and San Martín Jilotepeque sources in highland Guatemala (Paris and López Bravo 2021), although two pieces of Pachuca green obsidian from Central Mexico were recovered from the funerary cave (Paris, López Bravo, and Serafin 2019). At all three sites in the Jovel Valley (Moxviquil, CV‐38 and Huitepec), obsidian prismatic blades were functionally utilitarian, but effectively served as luxury goods.…”

“…A fine orange vase with incised geometric designs found in Cache 2 was likely imported from the Ixtapa Valley; a similar vase is from the Ixtapa Valley is currently housed in the Museo INAH‐Centro Cultural de Los Altos. The funerary cave at Moxviquil Operation 7 contained numerous imported vessels, including a Tohil Plumbate gadrooned jar from the Soconusco (Shepard 1948); an Ashin Red Fluted vase from Toniná (Becquelin and Baudez 1979, 253, figure 185); and several white‐rimmed black‐ware dishes, which are most likely Early Classic period imports from the Zoque region, probably the Central Depression (see Paris, López Bravo, and Serafin 2019).…”

“…Among the artifacts recovered in the Moxviquil funerary cave were two spindle whorls made of fine‐grained limestone, carved with linear geometric designs. Three additional spindle whorls were made from human skull fragments, including two from the Moxviquil monumental zone (now in the Museo Na Bolom collection; Paris, Taladoire, and Lee 2015), and one from the Moxviquil funerary cave (Paris, López Bravo, and Serafin 2019). Such implements could have been used to spin thread for specific uses.…”

“…These include a fine‐grained limestone hacha and a basalt yugo from the Moxviquil monumental zone (see Paris, Taladoire, and Lee 2015, figures 3 and 19; Paris and López Bravo 2019), and a molded ocarina from the terrace fill in Moxviquil Operation 4 (see Paris and López Bravo 2019). In the Moxviquil funerary cave, four carved bone and shell discoidal sequins with a coating of wax or lacquer (Paris, López Bravo, and Serafin 2019). It is worth noting that these types of goods are generally found in low quantities at Moxviquil, suggesting that the city's residents were not high‐volume consumers of these long‐distance luxury products.…”