Classic Textiles from Cueva del Lazo (Chiapas, Mexico): Archaeological context and conservation issues

The excavation of Cueva del Lazo, a cave on the cliffs of the Río La Venta River canyon in the Zoque region of Western Chiapas (Mexico), led to the discovery of a complex Late Classic post-sacrificial context where eleven children were buried wrapped in textile bundles. The environmental conditions of the dry cave allowed an extraordinary preservation of perishable materials including textiles, cordages, botanical remains, etc. In the first part of the paper we provide a brief introduction to the archaeology of the Selva El Ocote, as well as a description and interpretation of the Cueva del Lazo archaeological context. The second part of the text is devoted to a detailed description of manufacture techniques and of the conservation process to which the textiles were submitted. In the concluding section some comparisons with modern Zoque textiles and future research venues are commented