NEWS RELEASE BY THE MESOAMERICAN RESEARCH FOUNDATION

16TH CENTURY MAP IS KEY TO SECRET CAVES

The 16th century Map of Cuauhtinchan No. II is the key to a network of caves in Mexico. This bold claim by the director of the Mesoamerican Research Foundation comes after 37 years of studying ancient caves for ritual use. "I had investigated caves in Mexico before I ever knew of the Map of Cuauhtinchan. So, when I saw the map, it was very exciting! Depicted were caves unknown except by a few native Mexicans. Evidently I was viewing a special document. This knowledge has been kept confidential because we wanted to evaluate something never before considered and also protect these subterranean places."

The Mesoamerican Research Foundation has an impressive array of information to back up its claims. The map (called MC2) depicts natural caves for ritual use, and eleven mortuary caves that apparently were modified with architecture, a door, sculpture, paintings, and incorporated as a funerary temple. These eleven caves, one of which is the legendary Chicomoztoc, are located in the states of Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, Mexico, and Morelos. Studies include aerial & land photographs, topo/maps of geological, hydrological, and topographical features which correlate with the cartography of MC2, along with field reports and interviews with native informants.

The MRF believes that when the Mexican Indians realized the Spanish Conquistadores had come to plunder and destroy, they secretly hid revered artifacts and documentary materials. This was the only way these cultural treasures could be preserved. And their hiding place was underground in sacred caverns.

Scholars and organizations who wish to inquire of this historical research are invited to contact us at: mrgerry@direcway.com

(News Release drafted by Lorin R. Blauer, Atty at Law).

 

From:  James E. Brady
Date:  September 10, 1999
Subject:  Maps of Cuauhtinchan

                        I have had the opportunity to spend several days in Puebla, Mexico surveying some of the area covered by the Maps of Cuauhtinchan. When actually working "on the ground" there is little doubt of the close correspondence between the maps and the physical geography. This I do not find particularly surprising because I have always felt that such documents are basically geographical. Their value, however, lies in the fact that they present "cultural" geography which is something that the Mesoamerican Research Foundation is just beginning to tease out. During my visit I was able to examine a number of caves in the area and was extremely impressed by the importance of the region for Mesoamerican cave studies. Artificial caves in particular are far more abundant here than anyone has realized. Future work by the Mesoamerican Research Foundation is certain to strongly impact the direction of cave studies in the next decade.

Dr. James E. Brady
Department of Anthropology ,
California State University, Los Angeles
jbrady@calstatela.edu.