A vacation in Cancun is the perfect opportunity to visit the numerous archeological sites in the area, many of which are from the Maya civilization. Many of the hotels will provide bus service, and most of the locations are a few hours from the comfort of your all-inclusive resort. One of the most famous and popular of these spots is Chichen Itza, a massive city which contains a mysterious water source called the Sacred Cenote. What is this, and why was it so important?
A cenote is a deep pit which usually forms as the result of limestone bedrock collapsing into the groundwater beneath it. They form an access point on the surface to underground bodies of water, and the water is usually clear and well-filtered due to it slowly filtering through the ground. The Sacred Cenote at Chichen Itza, also known as the Well of Sacrifice, is thought to be one of the most important parts of the ancient city; the name of the site actually translates to ‘At the mouth of the well of the Itza’.
The Maya believed that there were three ways to reach the underworld of the dead, and one of them was by passing through the bottom of the cenote. They also believed that the rain god Chaac lived there, and they often sacrificed humans and objects by throwing them into the well to please him. Dredges of the water have resulted in a huge number of artifacts, many of which (curiously) were perishable products like wood. These pieces were preserved by the water, where they normally would have rotted away over thousands of years.
Jewelry, weapons, jade objects, textiles, and shells have all been found in the Sacred Cenote. Archeologists realized that all of these items showed damage, representing a symbolic ‘death’ before sacrifice. Many human remains have also been found in the deep waters, from people of all different ages: young (assumed virginal) girls, prisoners of war, and strong warriors were all sacrificed. A majority of these findings were discovered in 1904 by Edward Herbert Thompson, who oversaw a great deal of the excavation of the site.
If you are visiting a hotel like Temptation Resort Spa Cancun, be sure to take some time to visit some of the amazing Maya archeological sites like Chichen Itza, Xcaret, and Uxmal. It’s sure to be a jump into history that you won’t soon forget.