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chapter 10 Structure 9: A Precolumbian Sweat Bath at Cerén Brian R. McKee Introduction Sweat baths are important in health, hygiene, and ritual in traditional Mesoamerica, and historical evidence documents their use since the Conquest. Archaeological, iconographic, and epigraphic data document sweat bath use during the Classic Period, but there are few securely identified archaeological examples. Most known sweat baths are in the central areas of large sites, presumably linked to elite ritual. Structure 9 at Cerén was probably a sweat bath with nearby stone features that likely were related to its use (McKee 1990a, 1993). It is in a rural setting and was not associated with the elite or with sitewide ritual. Structure 9 (Fig. 10.1) is south and east of previously reported archaeological and ethnographic examples of sweat baths. In this chapter, I describe the structure’s excavation and details of its construction and surroundings. I then compare it with archaeological and ethnographic examples of sweat baths to confirm its identification, and examine the modern and historical use of sweat baths to place Structure 9 in cultural context. Methods Structure 9 was excavated during the 1990–1991 and 1993 field seasons, utilizing Miller’s (1989, 1990) stratigraphy to identify tephra layers.We used shovels and hoes in the upper strata and hand tools closer to cultural remains. In 1990–1991 we carefully excavated by trowel but did not use screens. In 1993 we screened all sediments below the prehistoric roofing, or below Unit 2 in areas without roofing, with one-eighth-inch mesh screens. Conservation concerns precluded excavations that penetrated the structure or the pre-eruption ground surface. Data recorded included three-dimensional maps and stratigraphic positions, associations, and photographs. We addressed conservation issues early, installing supports for some architectural elements before their excavation. Due to the fragility of the structure and difficulty in supporting the clay roof, we only excavated limited areas inside Structure 9 (Fig. 10.2). The first interior excavation (Probe 1) was where a large volcanic bomb destroyed the southeastern corner of the roof. We excavated narrow trenches from this probe to the southern and eastern walls to determine their thickness (Fig. 10.2). We also excavated the entrance and an exploratory pit through the roof where another volcanic bomb had penetrated the clay dome (Probe 2). The author excavated two upright stone features associated with Structure 9 in 1990, and David Tucker excavated two others in 1994 (see below). Architecture Structure 9 is different in many respects from the other structures at Cerén, but there are some similarities , including the predominant orientation of 30° east of magnetic north (see Fig. 6.1), and solid clay walls similar to those of Structures 3 (Chapter 9) and 13. It differs from other structures in its roofing , the exterior bench, and the fire chamber. 90 brian r. mckee figure 10.1. Photograph of Structure 9 from the northeast. Wooden posts were placed as supports following excavation. Photograph by Brian R. McKee. substructure The lowest construction of Structure 9 is a thin clay layer under and west of the structure. A 42– 58 cm thick unreinforced solid clay platform sits on this layer. In the southern part of Structure 9, the platform sides are flush with the cornice at the wall tops, but elsewhere the platform extends out beyond the walls, forming a long, broad bench (Fig. 10.2); the same surface serves as the floor inside the structure and as a bench outside. superstructure The superstructure of Structure 9 includes the walls, four short adobe columns, and the roof. The walls are of solid clay, and a 27 cm tall cornice extends 7 cm past the wall tops on all sides. The wall height from the platform to the cornice top averages 1.05 m. The structure is nearly square, with 3.65– 3.83 m long walls that are 35–38 cm thick where the interior surface is visible. All walls are solid except for the entrance on the north side. The entrance (Fig. 10.3) is 80 cm high and 40– 50 cm wide, and is only navigable on hands and knees. Two heavy, shaped wooden beams served as a lintel; the beams have decomposed, but their forms are preserved as clay voids above the doorway , which has no cornice. The entrance interrupts the circumferential bench, and the gap in the bench continues into the structure to the firebox.The base of...

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