What did the Mayans use cenotes for?

The regional term is specifically associated with the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, where cenotes were commonly used for water supplies by the ancient Maya, and occasionally for sacrificial offerings.

How old is the Cenote Sagrado?

Cenote Sagrado gets its name from the fact that it is believed to have been particularly sacred. Look into its deep, murky waters and imagine the many people who were thrown into its depths as human sacrifices, many of them well over 1,000 years ago.

Did Mayans swim in cenotes?

Cenotes are natural swimming holes formed by the collapse of porous limestone bedrock, which reveals a secret subterranean world of groundwater pools. The Mayans revered cenotes because they were a source of water in dry times; indeed, the name cenote means “sacred well”.

What do the Mayans believe a cenote is?

Cenotes are water-filled sinkholes and are the only source of fresh water in Mexico’s Yucatan state. The Mayan civilization could not have survived here without them, but as well as sustaining physical life, these deep caverns were a key part of the Mayan cosmology.

Do cenotes have dead bodies?

Certain cenotes contain a large number of human remains, including both males and females, and young children/infants. Evidence from Maya mythology suggests that many young victims (most aged 6 to 12) were male (de Anda, 2007).

Are there crocodiles in cenotes?

No they are not. There is one small gator – not crocodile at casa cenote. You can’t say that crocs don’t visit cenotes, it’s only natural.

Where can I find information about the cenote?

Much of what is known about the dredging process is derived from Thompson’s personal notes. Thompson received money from Stephen Salisbury III to help him buy the Chichén Itzá excavation site and explore the cenote. Much of Thompson’s findings and research can be found at the Peabody Museum at Harvard University.

Why was the cenote of Chichen Itza important?

The presence of jade, gold and copper in the cenote offers proof of the importance of Chichén Itzá as a cultural city center. None of these raw materials are native to the Yucatán, which indicates that they were valuable objects brought to Chichén Itzá from other places in Central America and then sacrificed as an act of worship.

When did Edward Herbert Thompson discover the Cenote Sagrado?

Edward Herbert Thompson dredged the Cenote Sagrado from 1904 to 1910, and recovered artifacts of gold, jade, pottery, and incense, as well as human remains. A study of human remains taken from the Cenote Sagrado found that they had wounds consistent with human sacrifice.

When did Norman Scott and Roman Pina Chan go to the cenote?

In 1967-1968, Norman Scott and Román Piña Chán led another expedition. They tried two new methods that many people had suggested for a long time: emptying the water out of the cenote and clarifying the water. Both of these methods were only partially successful.