Ceremonial Pots

The ATM cave was apparently used by the Maya at least 1,400 years ago.  Given that fact, I was amazed by the fact that some of the pots on the floor of the main chamber were in almost perfect condition.  The cave environment is a very constant 21C year round, and being 200 meters underground and 1KM into a hill side, there are no rain, wind or other elements to cause wear.  

I would have assumed the pots were just left randomly the last time the cave was used, but Francisco said that was not the case.  The way the pots are organized (e.g. which way they are pointed, whether they are upright or on their side) has specific significance.  In addition, the cuts in the rim (clearly visible in this pot) were made intentionally, and signify that these are ceremonial pots intended to be used once and then discarded.