What did the Mayans throw in cenote?

Jade was the most precious material to the ancient Maya, and hundreds of jade objects were thrown into the Sacred Cenote. Plaques and pectorals were ritually burned and fractured; some of these were possibly heated up to shatter when they hit the cold water.



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Chichen Itza Cenote The victims were warriors, children and maidens thrown to the bottom of the cenote. To one side of the south bank of the well they built some platforms on two levels, which perhaps were used as seats for those who witnessed the ceremonies.

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According to tradition, caves and cenotes are also the home of Chac, the Maya god of rain, as well as the entrance to Xibalba, the Underworld. In times of drought or stress, or when, Maya leaders appealed to Chac by making offerings to him in cenotes.

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Cenotes were central in Maya cosmology as the liminal spaces that served as vital portals between the earthly realm and the watery underworld. Through this opening, the deceased passed, and from this opening, humans and deities were reborn.

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Outbreak of histoplasmosis detected in tourists visiting cenotes in Yucatan. Histoplasmosis is an infection caused by inhaling the spores of a fungus usually found in bird and bat droppings.

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The Yucatán Peninsula has almost no rivers and only a few lakes, and those are often marshy. The widely distributed cenotes are the only perennial source of potable water and have long been the principal source of water in much of the region.

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It wasn't until 1914, when the violence of the Mexican Revolution unintentionally put an end to the looting of Chichén Itzá. To this day, over 200 bodies, jewels, ceramics and gold pieces have been found as part of the archaeological findings in the cenote.

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