Bodies of Water

Cenote Xlacah, Dzibilchaltun

Cenotes

Cenote Xlacah is the large natural sinkhole at the center of the Maya site of Dzibilchaltun in Yucatan, Mexico, distinct from and not to be confused with the better known Sacred Cenote at Chichen Itza. Archaeological excavation of Xlacah recovered ceramics, jade and human remains spanning more than a thousand years of use, evidence read as attesting a continuous role as both a water source and a place of ritual offering for the city built around it, one of the longest continuously occupied Maya sites known.

Facts

Origins

Origin Region

The northern Yucatan plain, a limestone shelf with almost no surface rivers, where water is reached through natural sinkholes; the cenote lies at the center of the Maya city of Dzibilchaltun, one of the longest continuously occupied Maya sites known. 1

Region

Yucatan, Mexico, at the archaeological site of Dzibilchaltun, near Merida, distinct from and not to be confused with the better known Sacred Cenote at Chichen Itza. 1

Significance

Sacred Role

A water source and a place of ritual offering for the city built around it: excavation recovered ceramics, jade and human remains spanning more than a thousand years of continuous use. 1

Attributions

Associated Religion

Maya religion. The offerings recovered from the cenote, spanning over a thousand years, attest a sustained ritual role rather than a single dated cult. 1

Connections