Cenotes in Mexico. Synods. In the ancient political and cultural center of the Maya - the city of Chichen Itza, with many pyramids and statues, there is a Sacred Cenote

Cenotes are called vertical karst cavities formed during the collapse of the upper vaults of caves, which are a kind of natural wells filled with groundwater. In the Mexican territory of Yucatan, there are more than 6 thousand of them.

The Maya called these places "dzonot", which meant something deep and terrible. The cavities in the earth seemed to them the mouths of the great gods. It was also believed that underground wells serve as an entrance to the world of the dead.

Mayan cenote water was used only for ritual ceremonies, which were dedicated to underground deities and rarely did without human sacrifices. At the bottom of many Mexican cenotes, researchers found human bones, and it is not surprising that all these places are covered with a halo of mysticism.

But the latter does not scare away so much as, on the contrary, attracts curious extreme-seekers, and in particular connoisseurs of cave and cliff diving from all over the world. The popularity of these places in Mexico is second only to the Mayan pyramids and the stunning Caribbean Sea.

Cenotes of Chichen Itza

On the territory of the ancient city of the Mayan civilization - Chichen Itza, there is one of the most famous cenotes of the Yucatan - the "Well of the Sacrifices" or the Sacred Cenote. The giant funnel of this natural well reaches 60 m.

The frightening name of the cenote is associated with the bloody sacrifices carried out here by the Maya to their gods. The water in this place is muddy, of a greenish hue, and few decide to swim here, but the mystical halo invariably attracts tourists who want to admire this natural well.

If you want to see the most picturesque cenote with conditions suitable for exciting diving, then you should go to Ik-Kil, which is also located near the Mayan archaeological complex in Chichen Itza. This cenote is one of the largest, deepest and at the same time incredibly picturesque underground lakes, which impresses with turquoise waters and numerous fish swimming right next to bathing tourists.

Tree roots hanging in thin threads over the cenote complete the picture of the fairy-tale world. Therefore, it is not surprising that it is the picturesque views of Ik Kil that usually dominate the tourist avenues with the most popular attractions in Mexico. According to local legends, a swimmer in the waters of this cenote will find spiritual harmony.

Since there are a lot of tourists on the territory of Chitzen Itza, there is simply no crowding near Cenote Ik-Kil - there are so many who want to combine a fascinating excursion into the history of the Maya with a pleasant one - jumping into the cenote and swimming in its underground lake. For lovers of cliff diving, special platforms have even been equipped here, providing for jumping into the Ik-Kil well from various heights.

Cenotes near Valladolid

Among the three cenotes located in the neighborhood of Valladolid, the most remarkable is Dzitnup (another name is Keken). Unlike most similar karst wells in the Yucatan, this cenote is closed, and the sun's rays penetrate it only through a single small hole in its vault.

Even with artificial lighting in most of the Dzitnup cave, twilight reigns, creating a mysterious atmosphere, and flocks of bats only complement the halo of magical mystery. You can swim in this cenote, but diving is not recommended, since the chances of hitting your head on underwater rocks are very high.

Another beautiful indoor cenote of the Yucatan is Samula. The high content of minerals gives the water of the underground lake of this cenote an unrealistically impressive color. There are no less bats and fish in this place than in Dzitnupa. But swimming is also prohibited here, so all that remains is to admire the underground beauties.

On the way to these two remarkable closed cenotes, you can visit the least known to tourists open cenote Saamal. This vast open space with emerald waters and a small one is also worth seeing. Among the available ones are a romantic boat trip and jumping from the bridge located above the cenote.

Cenotes near Tulum

An entire arch of caves with excellent diving opportunities is the Grand Cenote, where you can admire the impressive columns of stalactites and meet freshwater turtles.

Not far from it, just 3 km from Tulum, is the Cenote Skull, which received its name for the three holes in the cave through which the sunlight penetrates. Beautiful clear emerald waters are a great place to swim.

There are very few fish, but bats and birds flying into the cave often scurry overhead. For amateurs, a wooden staircase has been specially built, from which you can jump into the water. Available diving depth here is up to 16 m.

To the north of Tulum is one of the most popular Yucatan cenotes among cave divers - Dos Ojos, whose name means "Two Eyes". This place was opened in the late 80s of the 20th century and has since gained worldwide popularity.

Experienced divers in these places can visit an underwater gorge called the Skeleton Cave and located near the city of Koba. This is one of the most difficult places in Mexico, so its exploration requires appropriate preparation. The reward will be a unique micro-system of the underwater world, where various types of exotic fish can be found, including peacock fish and rooster fish.

Visiting the cenotes

It is worth knowing that most of the Mexican cenotes are privately owned and almost all of them are available for visiting only for a certain fee, which is set by their owners.

It is best to visit the most popular cenotes in the morning, when the number of people who want to swim in the lakes of these wells is not yet an analogue of a sprat in a tin can.

In most cases, all cenotes offer rental of all necessary equipment for snorkeling and diving. So if finances allow, and there is no desire to bring your own equipment with you, you can always use the rented one.

But there is no time to write about the Baltic rides yet, so I continue to publish posts about the sights of Mexico. And again about Cenotes Yucatan Mexico, in which we were able to swim.
Today in line Cenote Maya Zetnup- one of the coolest, located 3-4 km from Valladolid and not far from Chichen Itza, you can safely drop in on the road and swim.

Somewhere in the vastness of the network I read that this cenote is a complete scam. Like, there is little light, and it’s not particularly impressive. Maybe it's true, if you don't swim there. But why even climb into the cenotes, if you do not plan to jump into the crystal clear water?

So, Mayan cenotes are needed in order to swim, and not look from the side, then and only then you can feel the whole incredible atmosphere and remember this place for many years.

For example, I still remember how my face shone when I swam to the place where a ray of sun breaks through the ceiling of the cave and forms a circle of the brightest light with a diameter of 50 centimeters on the water. These are generally indescribable sensations. Here you are swimming, swimming in the dark, feeling with your hands and feet the stalactites that go under the water, and then once you find yourself in a circle of the brightest daylight, as if with a halo above your head. Like an angel:)

For those who do not know how to swim, 2 ropes are stretched in the water, connecting the opposite sides of the cave - you can safely move along them, touching the handles.

Narrow passage to the cenote by stairs

Mustachioed fish. By the way, you can safely take a mask with you to the cenote and snorkel.

There are also in the same area Cenote Maya Samula. It is not so impressive, there are not many stalactites and stalagmites hanging from the ceilings and walls, but the cave is huge and several meters of poplar roots hang from a hole in the ceiling, drinking water from an underground well.

Entrance as in Cenote Dzitnup(Cenote Dzitnup), and in Cenote Samula(Senote Samula) 57 pesos, Dzitnup open from 8.00 to 17.00, Samula - from 8.00 to 18.00

How to get to Cenote Dzitnup from Valladolid, Mexico

We rode bikes (I wrote about where to rent bikes here :)
The journey took 25-30 minutes

Drive from the center of Valladolid along Calle 41A (Calzada de los Frailes), reach Templo de San Bernardino and the monastery, keep right, then turn right at Calle 49. You reach the highway at , turn left onto the cycle path parallel to the highway, go about 10 minutes, then turn left again near the sign for Dzitnup, drive a couple more kilometers. Then there will be a parking lot and a house on the right, you buy tickets there, Samula Cenote is on the right, you need to drive a little further to Dzitnap Cenote (3 minutes), there will be an entrance to the Cenote on the left. The ticket must be shown to the uncle at the entrance.

The cenote is essentially part of an underground river system that lies deep in the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula. Translated from the Mayan language, cenote, "dzonot" - literally means a hole with water. For the ancient Maya, cenotes were sources of fresh water, as well as places of worship; burials, sacrificial objects and human remains were found in many cenotes.

Now the cenotes have become a place of rest for tourists and locals. The water in the cenotes is absolutely clean and transparent, and the mineral salts contained in large quantities in this water make the skin soft and silky after bathing. Usually cenotes are equipped with ladders for descending into the water, platforms, latrines. Many popular cenotes also offer storage boxes, tables and gazebos for relaxing.

There are three types of cenotes - open, closed and semi-closed. The open ones look like lakes, the semi-closed ones are partly lakes, partly closed by grottoes, the closed ones are caves filled with water. Separately, one can single out such a type of open cenotes as wells, they are found in the state of Yucatan, which is higher above sea level, so the water in such cenotes is at a great depth - 20-30 meters from the surface of the earth.

open cenotes

The most famous open cenote isIk-Kil , which is a 5 minute drive from Chichen Itza. He is one of the most beautiful, but very popular. To enjoy this cenote, you need to come here as early as possible, before the influx of tourist groups that usually stop here on the way from Chichen Itza.

If you like privacy, then you can visit the cenote as an alternativeZatsi, located in the center of Valladolid. There are almost no people here, and its beauty is almost as good as Ik-Kil.

We can visit one of these cenotes of your choice during the excursion to Chichen Itza

There is a cenote in the area of ​​the Ek Balam archaeological zoneShkanche. You need to get to it 3 km along a country road. You can walk, but it is better to rent a bicycle or a cycle rickshaw, which are constantly on duty in anticipation of tourists. There are usually almost no visitors in this cenote, which allows you to enjoy it in silence and solitude. The cenote is equipped with a bungee rope and platforms for jumping into the water. Fans of extreme sensations can descend the wall of the cenote with the help of a climbing rope and even jump from its very edge from a height of about 20 meters. Near the cenote there are toilets, showers and changing rooms, as well as a small restaurant where the inhabitants of the neighboring village can prepare local cuisine for lunch.

Zazil Ha. This small but very beautiful cenote is located near the road that goes between Tulum and Coba. We usually visit it during the Tulum-Coba tour.. The cenote is equipped with toilets, changing rooms, tables and pavilions. Those who wish can ride on a small bungee or jump from a 3-meter platform into the water. Masks and vests are also available for rent.

These three cenotes are located just off the road in front of the Barcelo Maya Hotel. They are quite popular among locals, so you should refrain from visiting them on Sunday. These cenotes are located in the jungle among lush vegetation, their waters are also full of life - here you can see lotuses, water lilies, fish, freshwater turtles, and sometimes even pelicans!

Semi-closed cenotes

One of the most beautiful, but at the same time the most expensive is located near Tulum. The cenote consists of 2 lakes with islands in the middle, interconnected by an underground gallery. In the closed part of the sonot, you can see stalactites and bats. They also offer masks, vests, and storage boxes for rent.

Dos Palmas - small but very beautifula cenote located in the Mayan community of the same name. Bathing in it can be combined with a visit to the Mayan community, also locals use this cenote as the final part of the temazcal ceremony, which can be accessed by appointment both in a group tour, and ordered individually.

closed cenotes

Sak Aktun - a very beautiful underground river. You can only get there with a tour. All visitors are given vests, masks and a local guide who will tell you about the cave, its formations and ecosystem. Almost the entire tour takes place in the water. The cenote is located 6 km from the main road between Playa del Carmen and Tulum

Santa Cruz - another underground river, the entrance to which is carried out together with a local guide. A tour here is cheaper than in Sak Aktun. Most of the tour takes the form of walking through a semi-submerged cave with swimming in the final part. The cenote is located near the village of Akumal.

One of these cenotes can be visited both during the tour, and during a separate trip.

First, what is a cenote? Having read Wikipedia and the reports of other travelers before leaving, I still did not fully understand whether this is a cave or a lake? And why then the lake is called a cenote? But the fact that you have to swim there is a fact!
Now I'm torn apart. There are also lakes in the Yucatan, for example, large, muddy, overgrown with reeds. The main difference is how the cenote was formed - if caves are washed out in the rock and there is water or even a river (and it does not matter completely closed, with a hole in the vault, without a top like a well, or just flush with the ground), then this is a cenote. If this is an earthen bottom where water has collected, then this is a lake. There are cenotes not only in Mexico, but also in other countries, for example, the Ukrainian lakes in the Skelskaya cave in the Crimea can also be called a cenote, they are very deep, and Svityaz is also a cenote! because it is a karst lake)))
For lovers of exact definitions, cenotes are natural failures formed from the collapse of the vaults of karst caves in which underground water flows.
For lovers of deeper definitions, the cenote is “the gate to the realm of the dead,” according to the Mayans, who considered these waters sacred, and accordingly made sacrifices. There are hundreds of cenotes in the Yucatan, so if you wish, you can ask the locals about the nearest cenote, it will always be found , and the water there will really be clean, turquoise and refreshing. But in order not to travel around the entire peninsula, I will single out. in my opinion, the rating of the most interesting cenotes of Yucatan.
So, go ahead - my top 5 cenotes!

A large area (the 2nd longest cave in the world) - there are closed, open and completely covered areas, unexpected underwater formations, turtles and small fish. Feature - under water is the most interesting. Be sure to snorkel, but diving is better.

Entrance 100 pesos per person, rental of masks, snorkels, fins for snorkeling 70 pesos.

It is located not far from Tulum (20.249636, -87.464417).

Small cenotes of a closed type (there is a hole in the vault through which a beam of light breaks through). Feature - beautiful stalactites, stone waterfalls and other geological influxes on the walls. Almost tame black fish of medium size swim.
In Samul there were tree roots hanging from the hole to the very bottom (the last time we were there they broke off partly due to rain), and in Dzitnup there are beautiful stone flows and waterfalls.

Entrance 57 pesos per person to each of the cenotes.

It is located not far from Valladolid (20.6621, -88.243564).

Shkashel-Shkashelito, the heron hunts right in the cenote, without being afraid of children jumping nearby

A small cenote on a level with the ground. Feature - located in the reserve, when visiting you can meet interesting wild animals, small fish swim in the cenote, which eat dead skin and arrange a SPA procedure for tired tourists))

Entrance is free

It is located near Akumal (20.33835, -87.348439).

Consists of 2 closed cenotes and a cave. Feature - beautiful stalactites. You can snorkel and dive.

Entry 360 pesos per person (including all snorkeling equipment).

Located near Playa del Carmen (20.655756, -87.12487).

Large well type cenote. The peculiarity is that in ancient times the Mayans performed ritual human sacrifices there to call rain.

Entry 70 pesos per person.

It is located not far from Chichen Itza (20.687456, -88.567854).

And here are a few options for cenotes where you can refresh yourself after visiting the pyramids in the Yucatan: Ik-Kil near Chichen Itza, next to Ek Balam (there is a cenote like a well with bungee ropes and only 30 pesos), Cho Ha next to Koba (but better Gran Cenote), Kankirixche is not far from Uxmal.
In general, cenotes are a must-see in Mexico, and your personal rating of cenotes will depend on your preferences - historical mysticism, the desire to cool off after the pyramids, bungee jumping, pulling trees by the roots, diving or getting a free and at the same time natural SPA ...
Helpful Hints:
1. Basically, cenotes are open from 8:00 to 16:00, if you are going to a popular cenote, it is better to arrive early, if not, then at lunchtime, the hottest time.
2. The water in the cenotes is cool and you freeze quickly. Take things with you to keep warm and make sure that the children do not get cold.
3. Be sure to take an underwater camera with you, you won't regret it!
4. In many cenotes, you can have a picnic in the surrounding area, if you wish - stock up on food to refresh yourself in nature after swimming in cold water.
5. If the cenote is open, then it makes sense to think about sunscreen, as the sun never jokes in Mexico.
6. If you are going there in the evening, take mosquito repellent, it seems that they are not fed here in Mexico and they are just waiting for Slavic blood.

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"It was their custom before and until recently to throw living people into this well as a sacrifice to the gods during a drought ... They also threw many other things from expensive stones and objects that they considered valuable. And if gold came into this country, this well had to get most of it because of the reverence that the Indians have for it ..."In fact, the photo is not at all the sacred well (cenote), which Diego de Landa briefly mentioned in his diary, but its closest neighbor, the 40-meter-deep cenote Ik-Kil, in which I managed to swim. All cenotes in Mexico are connected with each other a system of underground rivers.There is a theory that the appearance of such almost perfectly round mines filled with water is the result of a meteorite falling, which simply squeezed water out of the soil under pressure through such mines within a radius of several hundred kilometers from the center of its fall throughout the Yucatan Peninsula .

Cenote Sagrado- The Sacred Cenote, located on the outskirts of the city of Chich "en Itza, which was first mentioned by the great inquisitor, excited the attention of treasure hunters from the moment the diary was discovered. But, almost until the end of the 18th century, technologically it was simply impossible. The first person to reveal the secret of the Sacred Cenote was Edward Herbert Thompson It is perhaps worth starting the story with him in photographs taken by himself in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

1. Consul

A graduate of the Polytechnic University of Worcester, Massachusetts, Edward Thompson was a dreamer and thought about things in life that his peers did not even think about. And although it was business as usual - marrying at 23 to the daughter of a retired whaling ship captain, the prospect of a job in a Boston office... it wasn't for him. At the age of 19, Thompson, who had never been to Central America, wrote a work where he claims that the Maya Indians are descendants, not of anyone, but of the Atlanteans themselves. Thompson's friend, landowner Steve Salsbury, who was also interested in Maya culture, in 1885 sets Thompson up with Senator George Frisby Hoare, and over dinner at one of the Harvard taverns, where I probably drank beer a week ago, the decision is made by this trio to appoint Thompson as US Consul for the Peninsula Yucatan. The President of the United States signs the paper without looking, and two weeks later, 25-year-old Thompson and his wife and two-month-old daughter set off for the wild, uncharted part of Mexico.

The Thompsons arrive in Merida, the capital of the Yucatán, where the young Edward enters the service. But what is the status of a consul for him! All that worries him is archeology and the study of the ancient culture of the Mayan people.

Source:

The working conditions are certainly not Harvard University.

But for a passionate person, a small alcove of an abandoned Catholic church or a niche of an old Spanish arsenal and a couple of reliable assistants are enough to start doing what they love.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

After several years of research near the city of Merida, Thompson buys a plantation in a remote part of the Yucatan with a large area of ​​jungle adjacent to it, on which there are some ruins.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

The young Bostonian does not really know Spanish when he entered the service; no one demanded such knowledge from him. But how do you communicate with the locals?

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

You have to simultaneously learn both Spanish and Mayan dialects in order to communicate with your neighbors.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

For two years, Thompson perfectly masters the languages ​​​​of Yucatan. Trying to understand the culture of this people, Thompson goes through initiation rites and ancient rituals, even joining the Mayan religious sect, taking it absolutely seriously, as an important and significant part of his life. But, remaining a real scientist, he scrupulously documents his observations.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

The Maya accept the young Gringo as their own. He is a welcome guest in every house in the village of Chichen, near which the Thompson hacienda is located.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

The Mayans are also frequent visitors to the hacienda. The women prepare traditional maize dishes while the men discuss legends, ancient leaders and plans for expeditions to the ancient ruins.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

Thompson's hacienda is open to all. Sitting in the evening on the highway with the locals is a common thing. The summer of 1904 is outside. the future seems full of hope.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

The two Sisters of Edward's wife, Henrietta Thompson, Bertha and Lionel pay visits from Boston every couple of years, but they do not tolerate them well, preferring not to leave the shadows in the 30-degree heat in their puritanical outfits.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

But Thompson did not acquire the plantation for this, in order to hold carefree parties on the track of his hacienda. His goal is to find Cenote Sagrado- the sacred well, about which Diego de Landa wrote. Eduard hires local young guys as guides and goes on a risky expedition.

Thompson and his guide slowly move through the dense thickets, clearing their way with a machete. After an hour of tiring journey, they stumble upon the ruins of some ancient settlement. The remains of stone structures show through the green carpet of the jungle.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

Segments of columns of ancient temples resemble an abandoned construction site.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

Quite tired of working with a machete, Thompson wipes the sweat from his forehead and squinting from the bright tropical sun sees a strange pyramid-shaped structure that has been completely swallowed up by vegetation over the centuries. Only a small structure at the top, where the sun burns the greenery, indicates that under the mound of lianas and lichens there is something grandiose, something that has been hidden from the world for many centuries.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

Getting closer, the young archaeologist realizes that he is in the center of the ancient city of Chich "en Itza, who described the bloody conquistador de Landa in his chronicles.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

The pyramid overgrown with vegetation is nothing but the great Temple of Kukulkan! It means that the cherished Sacred Cenote must be somewhere nearby...

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

After the first expedition, it took Thompson and his assistants several months to clear the pyramid of creeping and tenacious vines.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

Several years of hard work were spent to cut down the jungle around the temple and adjacent buildings.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

All this was just the beginning of the great restoration of Chich "en Itza, which dragged on for a century. This is how the Temple of Kukulkan looks today (2012).

Chich "en Itza is replete with the ruins of ancient buildings. They are everywhere. Thompson does not know what to take on in the first place. But, all this can be postponed for later. Search Cenote Sagrado - here the goal of his life, it is already close, and he is stubbornly moving towards it.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

Any, even small excavations that Thompson undertakes lead to the discovery of new architectural structures buried in the earth for thousands of years,

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

and priceless artifacts of antiquity, such as the statue of Chak Mol, known to the whole world thanks to Thompson.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

This statue is now on the upper platform of the Temple of the Warriors in Chich "en Itza, the second largest temple of the ancient city after the Temple of Kukulkan

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

and no one still knows what this statue symbolizes.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

Figurines of ancient warriors. Stone sculptures of sacred Balams (deities in the form of a jaguar).

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

Remains of the tombs of famous priests of the past.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

And among this variety of evidence of antiquity, Thompson sees barely noticeable traces of the old path that leads from the Temple of Kukulkan in an unknown direction straight into the jungle.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

Thompson and his team make a bold decision to explore where this mysterious path leads and, after walking about two hundred meters, cutting vines and thick branches of bushes with a machete, scratching their hands on the thorns of wild flora, they come to the edge of a huge ominous well. Thompson cannot contain his joy and laughs at the whole jungle with a loud rolling laugh. He realizes that he has finally found his Sacred Cenote, which he has been searching for all his life.

Later, in his book The Snake People, Thompson wrote: ..In times of drought, pestilence or disaster, solemn processions of priests, pilgrims with rich gifts and people intended for sacrifice descended the steep steps of the Temple of Kukulkan - the "Holy Snake" and walked along a special road to the "Well of Sacrifices". There, under the monotonous rumble of rattles, whistles and flutes, beautiful girls and captured noble warriors, along with priceless riches, were thrown into the dark waters of the Sacred Cenote to appease the evil god, who, as everyone believed, lived in the depths of this pool.".

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

Sacred Cenote is terrible. He smells of death. Its steep steep walls, covered with loach, are a manifesto of the inevitability and irreversibility of the finiteness of being. It seems that at the bottom of this devilish funnel there really is an entrance to the other world of Xibalba, as the ancient legend of the Mayan people says.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

This is how Thompson sees this cenote. Inaccessible, with dirty and green water (little has changed in a hundred years). After opening Cenote Sagrado the ambitious Bostonian loses his sleep. He comes here every day, thinking about how to get treasures from the bottom of the cursed green puddle. After taking measurements, Thompson determines that the size of the cenote is 60 meters in diameter, 20 meters from the edge to the surface of the water and 10 meters deep. But the main failure is that for thousands of years the bottom of the cenote was covered with a multi-meter layer of bottom silt.

For several months, the US consul has been throwing stones, his daughter's baby dolls and just wooden sticks into the well, trying to imagine how the ancient Mayans sacrificed various kinds of gifts to the god Chak, including people. At the same time, a miracle of American engineering in 1904, a hand-held excavator, the great-grandmother of the modern excavator, is being transported from the United States to Mexico on a ship to Thompson.

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Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

The monster of American industrialization is placed on the edge of the well, and work begins.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

The machine is driven by four people. Thompson, rolling up his sleeves, works with his assistants - the descendants of the Mayan Indians. " I doubt that anyone else can also feel the thrill that I experienced when, as four of my assistants struggled to hold the handle and brake of the dredge winch, the steel jaws of which first swung smoothly away from the edge of the platform, and hung briefly a moment in the air above the dark pit, quickly slid down, entering the quiet, black waters of the well, and then continued to sink to the bottom to complete their mission. After a few minutes of waiting, which were necessary for the car to bite into the bottom silt with sharp teeth, under the dark brown tanned skin, our strong muscles began to play with enthusiasm like mercury and stretch like steel cables, being in tension from the new unknown cargo emerging from the depths of the cenote"- Thompson recalled in his memoirs.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

This "miracle of engineering" is now in the Chich "en Itza Museum.

As time went. Tons of bottom soil spilled onto the limestone coast of the cenotes, sometimes there were remains of ceramics and animal bones. But treasures, and any other evidence of sacred rituals have not yet been found. Thompson was in a bad mood, worried that he would not be able to find anything until the start of the rainy season.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

In order to speed up the work and not raise the bucket to full height every time, Thompson himself descends on a mini-raft and processes the material first afloat.

And then he builds a small peninsula from the soil extracted from the bottom, on which all further research is carried out.

Source: Peabody Museum, Harvard University

And finally, the first find - petrified pieces of "copal", which, when thrown into a fire, emit incense. " Like a sunbeam breaking through a dense fog, the words of the old sage from Ebtun came to life again in my memory: “In the old days, our fathers burned the sacred resin ... and with the help of fragrant smoke, their prayers ascended to God ..."- Edward feels that he is already close to the goal, builds a raft that accommodates him and two assistants and directs the teeth of his infernal machine directly to the very place where he found aromatic resin a week before. The first test brings a whole pile of jade and gold jewelry, ceramics, bones and skulls of people sacrificed.Consul-archaeologist triumphs.This is a real success!

Realizing that the excavator in archeology can only serve at the initial stage of exploration, Edward decides to change the tactics of extracting treasures from the bottom of the cenote. From Europe, he orders diving suits and takes two professional divers from Greece as assistants. Being a brave and fearless adventurer, Eduard dresses himself in a diving suit and dives almost every day. Due to pressure drops, he becomes deaf in one ear, but this does not stop him.

For seven years of work from 1904 to 1911, Thompson takes out more than a thousand different objects from the bottom of the Sacred Cenote: jade masks, knives, golden bells, two carved thrones of the city's rulers and other valuables. He secretly transports all this to the United States, where he deposits it in the Peabody Museum of Harvard University. The Mexican government estimates the cost of the damage at one and a half million dollars at the rate of 1926. Can you imagine how much this collection would cost now!? The US is forced to return the valuables to Mexico. Thompson is justified, but in fact, only very significant things were returned to Mexico, such as, for example, the jade mask of the ancient ruler of the city of Chich "en Itza. Most of the objects are still in Harvard.

Finding the remains of people from the Cenote Sagrado, Thompson realizes with horror that the beautiful legend that virgins were thrown into the well, which he believed in since childhood, does not hold water. 80% of the remains of the victims recovered from the well are children and adolescents aged 9 to 14!

Most likely, these were victims not of the Mayan cult, but of the Toltec cult, a barbarian tribe that assimilated with the Maya during the decline of their civilization. For all the time of work, Thompson finds about a hundred remains of young people who were sacrificed.

Although Thompson was acquitted by a Mexican court, in his later years he becomes an outcast among young archaeologists, who, perhaps out of jealousy, criticize his methods and accuse him of smuggling archaeological relics. Interestingly, in his entire life, Thompson did not appropriate anything from what he found in the well. He was a patriot of his country and donated everything he found to the Peabody Museum of Harvard University.

For 42 years he was doing his favorite thing. Despite the illnesses that the harsh life in the jungle brought him, Edward Thompson, as in his younger years, was ready at any moment to go on a risky expedition.

In the 1920s, Thompson's hacienda was ravaged by revolutionaries, supporters of the oppositionist La Huerta. The plantation was looted and burned. Thompson cannot pay tax on his lands in Chich "en Itza. The Carnegie Institute buys the lands, and Thompson returns with his family back to the USA forever

1932 On long winter evenings in New Jersey, Edward, Henrietta and their daughter Tia could spend hours remembering their youth and time spent in Chich "en Itza. In two years, Edward will be gone and he will go to explore the nine levels of the world of XIbalba, that world, at the entrance to which he worked most of his conscious life.He came into this world as Gringo and left it as Maya.When he crossed the worlds he walked with the Divine Twins Hun-Ahu and Xbalanque, and all three held hands...

That's how he was - adventurer, dreamer, consul and scientist - archaeologist Edward Thompson. Interesting life, isn't it?

2. Pragmatists

For fifty years, after Thompson closed his work, no one tried to explore the Sacred Cenote. Only in 1961, archaeologists from Mexico and the United States again paid attention to the well. This time, a completely different technique was used to study the cenote.

Here is how the Russian writer Gulyaev writes about this expedition: ".. in 1961, the preparation of the Mexican expedition to Chich "en Itzu was completed. It included archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico City, led by Dr. Eusebio Dabalos Hurtado, scuba divers from the Mexican water sports club and underwater technology specialists from USA It was decided that the original dredge pump, which was successfully used during work in the sunken city of Port Royal in Jamaica, would be used for research in the cenote. silt and small objects lying on the bottom.A large wooden raft, mounted on steel barrels, was lowered into the well.A dredger pipe was brought up through the hole in the center of the raft.A wire mesh was stretched around its base, which was supposed to catch all the objects thrown out by the dredger along with water and dirt...“Gulyaev forgot to mention William Folan, an American specialist who actually organized this enterprise, but these are already details. The scuba divers on this expedition worked blindly. Visibility at the bottom of the cenote was zero.

Nevertheless, this expedition was quite successful. In four months, thousands of ancient artifacts were recovered from the bottom of the well, including " ..the most interesting finds: a wooden doll wrapped in scraps of shabby cloth, rubber figures of people and animals, wooden "earrings" with mosaic inserts and a beautiful bone knife, the handle of which was decorated with carefully carved hieroglyphs and wrapped in gold foil". For the first time, scientists have made the first rough map of the bottom of the "Sacred Cenote".

Although the 1960 expedition brought many important discoveries, everyone was well aware that the Sacred Cenote shared only a small part of its "vault". In 1967, the Mexican archaeologist Piña Chan undertook another expedition to explore Senote Sacrado. First, he decided to drain the well, and this plan failed - the water level dropped only four meters. Then he decided to clarify the water of the cenote by using chemicals that are used to keep the water clean in private pools in villas in Mexico and the United States. This plan succeeded. The water became absolutely transparent. Chan's expedition also managed to find a wide variety of items: ".. two beautifully carved wooden thrones, several wooden buckets, about a hundred earthenware jugs and bowls of various sizes, shapes and eras, pieces of fabric, gold jewelry, items made of jade, rock crystal, bone, mother-of-pearl; amber, copper and onyx, as well as the bones of people and animals".

After that, no one seriously investigated the Sacred Cenote. Although, there is one enthusiast and his name is Guilermo de Anda. Guillermo, a diving archaeologist, found, as recently as 2011, six human skeletons and jade artifacts in a cave branch of the Sacred Cenote.

3. Ik-Kil

Not all cenotes in Mexico are so scary, gloomy and dirty. Yes, and the descendants of the Maya now prefer careless rich tourists jumping and splashing in cenotes throughout the Yucatan to the sacrifices of the priests. One of these cenotes is Ik-Kil. I visited it in May 2012.

Ik Kil is a neighbor of the Sacred Cenote and is located near Chich "en Itza. But if Cenote Sagrado represents death, then Ik Kil is absolute to him

opposite. This cenote is a celebration of life. Clear blue water, in which fish swim, waterfalls, plants with large flowers hanging down into the well. The water level is at a depth of 26 meters from ground level. You can go down by a stone staircase carved into the wall. This is what the cenote looks like from above.

In the cenote, you can swim and jump into it from platforms of different heights. The height of the highest platform is 7 meters. From above it seems that it is not very high, but the flight is quite long.

In this cenote, the daredevil competition is held every year, which means "tease the devil." Participants come from all over the world and jump into the well from the very top. I don't know how they do it!

The depth of Cenote Ik Kil is 40 meters. Few people have reached the bottom of this well, although divers come here every year to try their hand.

It's me, falling into the water from that very high platform. There were very few people who jumped.

Well, that's all I had to tell you. If the end of the world does not come on Friday, then I will go to Mexico again and try to explore other Cenotes and underwater rivers of the Yucatan Peninsula, which I will definitely write a separate post about.