Scientific American - USA (2020-10)

October 2020, ScientificAmerican.com 75

CITY DWELLERS moved to the countryside in search of not only farmland and water for irrigation but

also places that held spiritual forces they believed could protect them from a world that offered enemies

in every direction. “It wasn’t just natural resources but supernatural resources” that drew the Maya

to Lake Mensabak, Joel Palka says. Evidence of religion as a driving force in Lacandon society is every­

where here. Ancient paintings of gods and spiritually significant animals adorn the limestone cliffs at

Tzibana and other sites around the lake ( 1 ). A carved serpent at the base of the Tzibana cliffs resembles

the Aztec feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl, according to Palka, and may reflect the influence of the

Aztecs on the Lacandon ( 2 ).

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