cave use
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Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1109
Author(s):  
Brent K. S. Woodfill

After groundbreaking work by multiple archaeologists in the latter half of the 20th century, caves in the Maya world are currently acknowledged as fundamentally ritual rather than domestic spaces. However, a more nuanced read of the anthropological literature and conversations with Indigenous collaborators in the past and present pushes us to move still farther and see caves not as passive contexts to contain ceremonies directed elsewhere but animate beings with unique identities and personalities in their own right. This article combines archaeological, ethnohistoric, and ethnographic documentation of Maya cave use in central Guatemala to build a foundation for examining caves as living beings, with particular attention played to the role they play as active agents in local politics and quotidian life. Through ritual offerings, neighboring residents and travelers maintain tight reciprocal relationships with specific caves and other geographic idiosyncrasies dotting the landscape to ensure the success of multiple important activities and the continued well-being of families and communities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-24
Author(s):  
Otto Moog ◽  
◽  
Erhard Christian ◽  
Rudolf Eis ◽  

Between 2015 and 2019, the list of Lepidoptera from “cave” habitats (i.e., proper caves, rock shelters and artificial subterranean structures) in Austria grew from 17 to 62 species, although the effort of data collection remained nearly constant from the late 1970s onwards. The newly recorded moths and butterflies were resting in caves during daytime in the the warm season, three species were also overwintering there. We observed Catocala elocata at 28 cave inspections, followed by Mormo maura (18), Catocala nupta (7), Peribatodes rhomboidaria, and Euplagia quadripunctaria (6). More than half of the species have been repeatedly observed in caves in Austria or abroad, so their relationship with such sites is apparently not completely random. Since the increase of records in Austria coincided with a considerable rise in the annual number of hot days (maximum temperatures ≥30°C) from 2015 onwards, we interpret the growing inclination of certain Lepidoptera towards daytime sheltering in caves as a behavioral reaction to climate warming.


Heritage ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1094-1108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Rissolo

Regional rock art studies have provided insight into the role of caves in Maya ideology and worldview. In addition to the content of the imagery itself, the placement or siting of rock art with respect to natural and cultural features within the cave environment can reveal much about the function and meaning of cave use practices. This comparative analysis of rock art emphasizes contextual considerations with a discussion on the spatial and symbolic relationships between images in individual caves. Rock art in the northern Maya lowlands is commonly associated with watery areas and pathways leading to pools in caves. Across the northern Yucatan Peninsula, watery caves witnessed the rites and rituals of religious practitioners who appealed to the rain gods. Rock art scenes throughout this region were often devised and positioned in ways that reveal or are consistent with this unique and pervasive emphasis on rain and agricultural fertility in religious practice.


2020 ◽  
pp. 287-306
Author(s):  
Holley Moyes
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2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-147
Author(s):  
Hazel Barton ◽  

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has been responsible for over 650,000 deaths worldwide. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurs primarily through airborne transmission or direct human contact, demonstrating the importance of social distancing measures and the use of face masks to prevent infection. Nonetheless, the persistence of coronavirus on surfaces means that disinfection is important to limit the possibility of contact transmission. In this paper, the potential for various surfaces in show caves to serve as sources for SARS-CoV-2 infection is examined. Given the isoelectric potential (pI) of SARS and SARS-like coronaviruses, it is likely that they are adsorbed via electrochemical interactions to (limestone) rock surfaces, where the high humidity, pH and presence of biocarbonate ions will quickly lead to inactivation. Nonetheless, show caves contain infrastructure made of other non-porous surfaces that are more permissive for maintaining coronavirus viability. The 423 antiviral products approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were curated into 23 antiviral chemistries, which were further classified based on their potential to be hazardous, impact cave features or ecosystems, and those compounds likely to have the minimum impact on caves. The results suggest that alcohols (70% ethanol), organic acids (citric and lactic acid) and dilute hypochlorite represent the best disinfectants for in-cave use on non-porous surfaces. These disinfectants are able to inactivate coronaviruses inecosystems.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-28
Author(s):  
Miguel Rodríguez-Posada

In this note, I report two field observations of R. latimanus using caves. These records provide new data about the natural history of R. latimanus, previously, this species was considered mainly arboreal and solitary.


2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Andrea E. Montalvo ◽  
Roel R. Lopez ◽  
Israel D. Parker ◽  
Nova J. Silvy ◽  
Susan M. Cooper ◽  
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