Caves and tunnels at Teotihuacan, Mexico; A geological phenomenon of archaeological interest

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Abstract
In Prehispanic Mexico, natural cavities (tunnels, caves, rock shelters) were closely linked to religion and mythology. There are several myths that tell about the creation of the sun and the moon, saying they came forth from caves. In other myths, either the human race or a given group or groups (for example, the seven tribes of Chicomoztoc) emerged from the center of the Earth; it was even said that food itself was obtained from the underworld, when the god Quetzalcoatl stole maize from the ants (Heyden, 1981). For Prehispanic people, the cave meant the entrance to the underworld (and, thus, a funerary chamber), but it also meant the access to the Earth's womb or the mouth of the terrestrial monster. Consequently, it was the ideal place for fertility to be stimulated. This is why in some places in ancient Mexico, the ceremonies where people prayed for water for the harvests were held in caves, which were, together with hill summits and springs, the dwelling places of the water spirits (Heyden, 1981). Besides its ideological function, the cave was a dwelling option since prehistoric times. In Mexico, some examples of such caves are found in excavations in the valleys of Tehuacan, Valsequillo, Oaxaca, Tamaulipas, and the Chiapas Central Depression, among others. In the Codex Xolotl, the Chichimeca chiefs, Xolotl and Nopaltzin, are portrayed in the cave surroundings, evidence that these groups probably inhabited caves for many years. People living in caves are also pictured in the Relaciones de Michoacán manuscript; they