Caste War
In the Caste War of the Yucatán (1847–1901), when the Maya were fighting to "be treated as humans," the Cenotes were a used as a place to hide and live.
The Maya were considered animals because of their believe in their gods and not the Spanish god.
Caves were used as refugees in the Caste War and they are still gathering places to make the famous JIPIJAPA hats, also known as the Panama hats.
The fiber of the plant Jipijapa, huano palm, is so brittle that the artisans have to weave them inside the caves because of their humidity and temperature.
Modern Maya, in the town of Becal, Campeche, weave the hats in underground caves located in their back yards.
Perspective of the limestone column in the Cave of Balankanche, created from laser scan data. Courtesy of Cyark.org – A Perspective is a screen shot of a 3D Point Cloud,
3D Models and Digital Reconstructions.
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Balankanché, México © María O. Baum
The Cave of the Jaguar’s Throne inside the Grotto of Balankanché, in the Yucatán, is located near Chichén Itzá.
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The Three Planes of the Maya Existence (planes or levels depending on the translation)
The Major Cosmic plane or force with 13 levels,
The Earth plane or U'kux U'lew' with 4 elemental forces, and
The Underworld or U'kux Xibalbá with 9 levels. The entrance was located in the Cenotes and Caves.
The Temples were also divided
Cosmic Temples were called Tolán Kaj'
The pyramids were called Tolánes
The Underworld Temples were the Tolán Ku
The only way to enter the sacred temples was through the doors of the Underworld of the sacred Cenotes and caves.
Some Cenotes are accessible for swimming, snorkeling and cave diving.
In many of the Cenotes, we still can see the offerings from the Maya to their Gods. Please respect them.
Cave diving is an extremely hazardous sport and should only be done by advanced divers and always accompanied by a guide.
If you swim, do not use sunscreen, do not eat and do not be loud.
There are some sites that you can enjoy an inner-tube adventure like in Xel Ha. In Cenote del Jaguar - Pac Chen - you climb down past stalagmites and stalactites, as in the case of the Aktun Chen.
In some of the sites there is an entrance fee and services.
Akumal, South of Cancún, is in the middle of one of the best regions for cave diving.
In some of the Cenotes or caves you can swim or snorkel.
Dos Ojos - Two Eyes - IMAX - Hidden Worlds
Featured in a 2002 IMAX film, Journey Into Amazing Caves and the 2006 BBC-Discovery Channel series Planet Earth.
Superb snorkeling, very popular place. Two Cenotes connect to the large cavern. Water temperature is 77 Fahrenheit throughout the year.
The
water is exceptionally clear as a result of being rainwater filtered
through limestone. Snorkeling and cavern diving site. It is part of the
Nohoch Nah Chich cave system.
Flooded cave system north of Tulúm, Quintana Roo.
Explored
since 1986, the extent of the cave system is more than 80 Km., 25
Cenotes have been discovered, and there is still more to explore.
Sistema
Dos Ojos Length m. 64455; Depth-396 ft.- with 25 connected Cenotes
Parallel to the Nohoch Nah Chich/Sac Actun cave system, is one of the
worlds longest cave; large volumes of groundwater flow towards Caleta
Xel'ha, a nearby coastal lagoon. WC and Restaurant. 48 Km. S. of Playa
Del Carmen - 3 Km. S. of Xel-Ha - On right 4 km down dirt road.
X'Tacunbilxunana, Bolonché'en, Bolonchenticul
- "9 wells" - Bolonchenticul is famous because it was the only town to escape the cholera epidemic. North of the town lies an ancient Maya city that was destroyed by the Spanish when they used the stones of the pyramids and temples for their Church and their constructions. A few sculptures and hieroglyphic texts can be visited. South of Bolonchén are the caves of X'tacunbilxunan. 120 km East from Campeche, Campeche
Calcehtok Caves "Actun Spukil" - Cal (neck), Ceh (deer) - Tok (stone)
Named after a carved deer found at the site. It is the second largest cave system after Loltún.
Arrow
tips, hammers made of quartz, sculptures, idols, obsidian knives,
several chultunes "stone cisterns," and, human burials were found.
The
cave has wonderful stalactites and stalagmites with more than 30
connected caves that have been explored, and many more that have only
been mapped.
Because
of the complexity of the site, and, the ancient relics, it can only be
explored with a guide. Good shoes are required; climbing and walking.
To
start, the so-called ladder leading down into the cave that is secured
to the top by rope, wire and hook, looks extremely dangerous, however,
it is extremely secure and with care, you will have no trouble
descending.
I would strongly advise that you bring flashlight, good hiking shoes and a small towel, as the ground is extremely slippery and you will work up quite a sweat.
The guide is extremely attentive to your needs and safety.
This is a once in a life time experience that should not be missed by anyone who is in decent physical shape.
Mérida - 43 miles away. - Uxmal- 30 min. - Guides- about $ dlls. approx. for an hour, but there are several different routes, prices and length of tours. A visit to the nearby Oxkintok archaeological site is recommended.
Chac Mool "Jaguar's Claw"
Large cavern with views of the jungle from the inside of the cave. WC and Restaurant, snorkeling and swimming. Fee 22 Km. S. of Playa Del Carmen - Across from Puerto Aventuras.
El Eden - Ponderosa
Beautiful coral Cenote, with a large island in the center. Very easy access for swimming, it has an overhang with tree that is used to jump into the Cenote. Excellent for snorkeling because of its unlimited visibility: fish, eels and turtles. 3 Km. S. of Puerto Aventuras. $ US
Chikin' Ha
Lots of fossils in one of the Cenotes. On the other one, you can swim through a tunnel to an underground air chamber. There are no facilities. 5 Km. S. of Puerto Aventuras, before X'pu Ha, across Barceló Maya. Long way down bumpy road. Fee
Kantun Chi
Four
Cenotes, most of them are caved. The Cenotes of K'atun Chi, Zaskaleen,
Uchil Ha and Zazil Ha are along jungle trails. The further one, has a
small Maya temple next to it. Restaurant, bike rentals, horseback
riding. Not very good for swimming. Rental equipment available for
Snorkel. You will find Kantun Chi as soon as you pass Chikin Ha Cenote.
Cristalino
Beautiful,
very primitive, with no facilities: locals go there. You can dive into
the Cenote from a 15 ft. ledge (3.5 m.). Close to the Highway, as soon
as you pass Kantun Chi.
Azul "Blue"
Jungle setting with more open air and more algae than Kantun Chi, there is a snack bar. It is close to the road; as soon as you pass Cenote Cristalino.
Taj-Majal
Four Cenotes interconnected - snorkeling for advance swimmers. It has WC and Restaurant. 5 m. under water to come out in a cave that has light shining from the ceiling. 26 Km. S of Playa Del Carmen - 5 km S. of Puerto Aventuras - S. of Xpu-Ha
Temple of Doom - Calavera - Skull
3 open Cenotes like small holes; one has approx. 30. ft. and two of them, 4 ft. in diameter, creating a shape of a skull. The Cenotes are shaded by thick canopy and there are no facilities. Great for swimming, 10 Ft. drop down into the Cenote; there is a rope swing and a ladder. 2 Km. from Tulúm on the road to Cobá, on the right side of the road. Very rugged and rocky jungle path.
Gran Sac Ak'Tun - White Water
Ladder steps lead to the Cenote with openings; this popular site is shallow on one side and deep on the other. Brilliant decorations and crystal clear water. Great for snorkeling and swimming. WC. 5 Km. from Tulúm via Cobá.
AKTUN HA - Water Cave - Car Wash
Locals used to wash vehicles here, very easy access; it is like a tiny lake. Snorkeling is good in winter, in the summer there is algae. WC available. 8 Km. from Tulúm via Cobá - 4 Km. past Gran Cenote on the left side of the road.
Cristal - Naharon
Great for swimming and snorkeling. The entrance ticket includes the entrance to Escondido across the street. 4 km S. of Tulúm on the right side of the road.
ESCONDIDO - MAYA BLUE
- To get to it you have to walk 2 km. in the jungle. Described by the locals as Tarzan and Jane style-secluded Cenote. WC - Good swimming and snorkeling. Entrance ticket includes the Cenote Cristal entrance fee. 4 Km. S. of Tulúm on the left side - across from the Cristal Cenote
980 ft. long Sacbé, the Maya raised road, connects the Sacred Well to other well.
The city was perfectly designed with Temples and pyramids According to the Spanish Priests, the Maya sacrificed objects and human beings into the Cenote to worship the rain god Chaac. You can't swim in these Cenotes.
From 1904 to 1910, the American pseudo-archaeologist Edward Thompson dredged the sacred Cenote and took gold, jade, pottery and ceramics, as well as human remains destroying many of them and sending the rest out of México.
The other Cenote in Chichén is dry. To have an idea of what happened in this area read the story of Alma Reed:
INAH Among the most interesting discoveries in the natural caves and Cenotes of México: - Osseous remains of the most ancient person in the Americas, many Pre-hispanic Maya offerings, and two 19th century rifles used during the Guerra de Castas (Caste War).
According to archaeologist Matos, systematic explorations of Cenotes (underground natural pools) began in 1990’s decade.
“Caves and Cenotes are interesting places because the sacred and profane coexist. We found domestic life as well as constructive material extraction vestiges, but their main role in Maya culture was as sacred gates that connected cosmic dimensions”, explained Matos, director at the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
Thousands of years ago, the Yucatán península was a great prairie and many animals, that are now extinct, as gomphotheres and glyptodonts, lived in the area.
Osseous remains are being studied. The skull of the Woman was found in Quintana Roo. It is the most ancient in America with more than 11,600 years old. Another woman’s skull, Mujer de Palmas, is 10,000 years old. INAH 329
DZIBILCHALTÚN
30 minutes from Mérida and the famous site where the impact of the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs is Dzibilchaltun, a beutiful Maya site. The main structures are:
- Temple Of The Seven Dolls, seven small effigies found at the site.
- A Sacbé, the ancient Maya Road, connects the temple to the rest of the site.
- Famous on the Spring Equinox, when the sun rises and shines directly through one window of the temple and out on the other side, hundreds of people gather. Similar event to the descending snake of Chichén Itzá, the temple of the Flying God in Tulúm, etc., except that in this site the temple is small.
- There is a small Cenote that the roof caved and it is like a little lake, I wouldn't swim there, but it is very pretty.
- The Spanish used the material of the temples and pyramids for their churches and houses and usually you will find their churches on top of the main sacred sites. There is a 16 th.C. Spanish church built on top of a destroyed temple.
The Museum has been closed for more than a couple of years, but check before you go.
The price of the entrance includes the Museum but it has been closed for a long time. There is a charge to park, a charge to enter the site and an extra charge for the entrance to the park. 30 min. N. of Mérida
Cuevas o Grutas de LOLTÚN – Caves – “Stone Flower” Yucatán Loltún– LOL "flower" and TUN "stone"
One of the largest caves on the Peninsula and the most studied with evidence of human contact going back 7,000 years.The 10,000 year-old cave, was a religious center and place where clay was gathered for manufacturing utensils. It has several paintings and negative-hand impressions on the walls. Also the stalactites and stalagmites were filed and used as points for spears.
Only 1.2 mi. has been explored. There is evidence that confirms human occupation. - Mammoth bones, bison, cats, horse remains and extinct vegetation were found. (plehistocénico).
Fresco paintings on the walls; "hands in negative", human faces, animals, decorative figures, geometric shapes, etc... Tools were also recovered from the site. Mural paintings representing hands, faces, geometric motifs, animals, and inscriptions; artificial containers carved in rock for gathering natural dripping water, petroglyphs with flower motifs; give the name to the Grotto's.
The sacred caves or Cenotes were used by the Maya, to extract clay to make their ceramics. The stalactite points were used as tools. A couple of stalagmites can be "played" like musical instruments when struck with one's fist, producing two deep bell-like tones. When the Maya were fighting for their rights to be treated as HUMANS in the Caste War, this Cenote was used as a shelter. Even to this day, the cave system has not been fully explored.
The only way to visit the cave is by taking the two hour tour but it is worth it to have a guide. You would lose many of the beautiful sites if you entered alone.
Guided tours: at 9:30 am, 11 am, 12:30 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm, and 4 pm.
Entrance about 10 dlls. plus the guide.
Bilingual guides work for tips. Check the time at your hotel before you go.
There is no swimming, but it is on of our favorite cave if you go on a small group or with a quiet group.
- 68 mi. SW of Mérida, 5 mi. S of Oxkutzcab, 15 mi. NE from Labná
TZABNAH Caves - ZAB-na "The King’s Palace"
With thirteen Cenotes within the caves, this wonderful system, has stalactites, stalagmites and a huge chamber. The Cathedral resembles the Cúpula of the Cathedral of Mérida, or so the guide says. The legend says that a Maya prince and princess, found refuge in the caves, after they escaped from an evil kidnapper. They lived there forever, and sometimes people can hear them.
Stop in TECHO, 25 mi. S. of Mérida, to find a guide. In the Palacio Municipal building there are guides.
Quintana Roo Speleological Survey
Caves.org
Sport divers have been looting cenotes
Biospeleology in Yucatan
Speleological Survey added this information:
Added three new underwater caves including Sistema X'cacel Pequeña, Sistema Three Holes, and Sistema Swan Lake Siphon.
We have also updated information for Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Xunaan Ha, Sistema Dos Pisos, Sistema Regina, Sistema Minotauro, Cenote Balun Actun, Sistema Swan Lake Spring, and Cenote Renzo.
You will find overall
dry and underwater cave totals for Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Xunaan Ha,
and Sistema Swan Lake on the Dry Caves and Sumps page.
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April, 2010 - Added one new underwater cave, Cenote Renzo. We have also
updated information on Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Xunaan Ha, Cenote
Balan Ak, Cenote Balun Actun, and Cenote Chan Chemuyil Norte. The Dry
Cave and Sumps page is also updated.
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March, 2010 - Added six new underwater caves, Sistema Ox Pe Pool.
Sistema Swan Lake, Sistema Misterio Maya, Cenote Cemado Chico, Ha'ak Kah
Sump 2, and Balam Ts'al Sump.
Deleted Cenote Eliasar as it is connected to Sistema Ox Pe Pool.
Updated
Sistema Xunaan Ha, Sistema K'oox baal, Sistema Naranjal, Sistema
Regina, Dzonot Took, Cenote Balan Ak, Sistema Templo, and Sistema Balun
Actun underwater caves.
Added three dry caves in the K'oox baal area, while updating the Tixik K'una, Cueva Borges, and Rancho Santuario de Los Guerreros dry caves.
11 February, 2010
- Added two new underwater caves, these sumps are associated with Sistema Rancho C. d. L. Guerreros.
We have updated information on Sistema Xunaan Ha, Sistema Toh Ha,Sistema Crustacea, Sistema
Dos Pisos, Sistema Regina, Sistema Templo, Cenote SLSH (Akab Ha), and
Cenote Balun Aktun underwater caves. Added two new dry caves, Cueva DHW
and Cueva Rancho C. d. L. Guerreros. We have also updated information on
Sistema Tixik K'una, Cueva Borges 1, and Cueva Palomita dry caves.
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January, 2010 - Added five new underwater caves, Cenote Ba'ax Ka
Tuclic, Cenote Gunney, Sistema Ixchel, Sistema K'u Pix, and Sistema
Kuuchil Wiinik Laab. Updated Cenote Carwash Siphon, Sistema Dos Ojos,
Sistema Kachkalak, Sistema Ponderosa, Cenote Sac Xiquin Che, and Sistema
Xunaan Ha.
Maya Symbols and Mythology
CHICHĖN-ITZÁ - BALANKANCHÉ
TULÚM, "The City of Dawn"
Underwater Museum - 400 Life Size Sculptures
Underwater Cave Maps Gallery of obligate cave species (Stygobites) that inhabit the
anchialine caves of Quintana Roo.
National Geographic What a Meteorite Has Wrought National Geographic A limestone shelf juts from the arid north shore of the Yucatán Peninsula. This region lies along the rim of a massive crater formed 65 million years ago when a city-size meteorite plowed into the Earth. The impact raised dust clouds that darkened the sky, altered weather, and triggered a mass extinction, including the dinosaurs. The meteorite also left a ring of fractures in the bedrock of the peninsula that gradually filled up with fresh water, forming holes known today as cenotes. Deemed a source of life by the ancient Maya, cenotes hold centuries-old artifacts ranging from everyday pots to the skeletons of human sacrifices
Caves and Cenotes
The Cenotes and Caves were used by the ancient Mesoamerican civilizations as:
Shelter and places of refuge
Sacred
places where rituals of passage were performed, rituals of
communication with the "abuelos," or Elders / wise old ones
(grandfathers)
Places of pilgrimage and offerings, rituals and prayers
Bows for the 13 Tzuultaq'a (gods of the mountains and valleys)
are offered together with incense, pom or copal, candles, cocoa beans,
ceramic offerings and prayers for health, rainfall, harvest.
Astronomical observatories.
Burials, cremations and gathering place to invoke the dead
Extraction of minerals and clay for pottery
Abrasive stone from the Cenotes/Caves were used for polishing
Points of the stalactites and stalagmites were used to produce artifacts
Sources of drinking water
Mythical places mentioned in the Popol Vuh, the Ancient Maya Sacred Book as Xibalbá, the sacred underworld inhabited by the Lords of life and death and the spirits of water and earth. The brothers Hun' Hunahpu and Vu'cub Hunahpu entered the underworld to confront the Lords of Xibalbá, but are defeated and killed. Several years go by, and their sons, while playing ball near Xibalbá, annoyed the Lords with the noise of their ball game. The Lords called them into the cave, inviting them to play, so that they stop making noise. The *twins had to enter the cave and go through different challenges during seven** days and seven nights inside the different houses that Xibalbá has. In order to enter, they had to descend to the inside of the Mother Earth. Some of the challenges were: crossing a river of blood without drinking water, crossing valleys with thorny calabash trees, crossing roads and paths. Walking through four*** roads, one was red, another was yellow, white and, one of them, the black one, is the entrance to Xibalbá.
INSIDE XIBALBA - They were challenged to make several tasks inside the different houses that Xibalbá has. Some of the houses were:
- House of Gloom or Quequmaq' ha, where there is only darkness.
- House of Xuxulim' ha or the
shivering house, full of jaguars stalking, jumping and making fun of the
visitors, until they were contained inside the house.
- Zotzhi' h or the House of Bats, where bats flew around the twins.
- Chayim ha, or the House of Knives, with sharp pointed knives.
Animals and Plants Associated with the Underworld
Jaguar, snakes, toads and crocodile.
Water Lily, associated with the entrance to the underworld and the connection between our physical world and the Underworld.
Cacao tree, associated with fertility, with the water lily, jaguar and snake. In
order to be able to go inside the Cacao tree, the Maya had to drink cacao while alive.
Copal was burned inside the caves as an offering to their Gods
Some pyramids and temples were built on top of Caves - Like in Teotihuacán, Xochicalco, etc..
INAH - Cenote Las Calaveras (Skulls) - 120 skeletons found, is the largest concentration of bones. The Cenote Las Calaveras, located in Quintana Roo, could be the best preserve pre-Hispanic funerary and largest concentration of human skeletons in the Maya area. So far, its depth
120 skeletons have been found and it is estimated that the figure could
rise to 150, as research progresses. The underwater archaeologist
Carmen Rojas Sandoval, the National Institute of Anthropology and
History (INAH-Conaculta) reported that in that place there have been 120
skeletons dating between the years 125-236 AD, beating the Cenote at
Chichen Itza, Yucatan, and that even before this finding represented the
largest number of skeletons deposited in flooded areas such that the
ancient Mayas used as funerary deposits. "On the characteristics of the
location and number of skeletons found is likely to find at least 30
more or even to have up to 200, which would exceed the number of human
remains found on land in one of the largest Maya cities Classic period
(125-236 AD): Tikal, in Guatemala. "The specialist, Quintana Roo INAH
Center, explained that since 2007 the INAH holds the systematic
recording of the remains of the cenote Las Calaveras, work on which has
the participation of National Geographic. In this regard, he added, in the cenotes bones are preserved better than in terrestrial environments, because the forest floor is acid, and coupled with environmental conditions deteriorate. "In contrast, in the water of the cenotes alkaline conditions, darkness and stable environment with no currents or fauna that attack, the bones are kept extremely." As part of archaeological research in underwater caves of Quintana Roo, the archaeologist said that for more than a decade studying the INAH four skeletons with a length of between 12,000 and 8,000 years or so, which places them in the pre-Maya or prehistoric period. The remains belong to two women, one man and one with sex defined. One of them had 40 years of age at death, while the other was a 25 year old, and his bones were found with funerary treatment characteristics and not sacrifice. It should be noted that these caves flooded, 10,000 years ago were dry due to melting were full of water and were used as funerary deposits.
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