UNDERGROUND SINKHOLES - CENOTES
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What is a cenote?
The Yucatan peninsula, where the story of Ti and his friends plays, was originally under the ocean and the region's limestone foundation is fossilized coral beds and ocean floor. There are no above ground rivers in this area. All of the ground water sinks through the porous limestone and travels to the sea in underground rivers. Parts of the limestone weakened over time and collapsed, leaving sinkholes filled with water.
During the ice ages, portions of the underground rivers dried up and water dripping through the limestone left mineral deposits in beautiful formations. Stalactites and stalagmites formed in the caves and caverns, and were covered with water when the rivers began flowing once again.
Meaning to the Maya
The Maya called the sinkholes dzonot, which the Spaniards translated as cenote, which means “sacred well”. For them, cenotes were their only source of fresh water. Maya cities were built around a cenote for the sole purpose of a fresh water source. However some cenotes are a mix of salt water and fresh water, which creates a natural halocline, the area where the salt and fresh water separate.
In addition to a water source, cenotes were considered to be sacred and therefore religious ceremonies often took place. Cenotes are the entrance into the underworld, the most sacred place for the Maya. The Lord of Deaths were believed to live in the Underworld.
The affluent Maya city of Chichén Itzá (translated as “At the mouth of the well of the Itza”), was named after a cenote.
Read more:
http://www.docancun.com/cenotes.html
http://www.yucatantoday.com/en/topics/cenotes-underwater-sinkholes
https://www.locogringo.com/mexico/ways-to-play/riviera-maya/eco-adventure-parks/cenotes-caverns/
The Yucatan peninsula, where the story of Ti and his friends plays, was originally under the ocean and the region's limestone foundation is fossilized coral beds and ocean floor. There are no above ground rivers in this area. All of the ground water sinks through the porous limestone and travels to the sea in underground rivers. Parts of the limestone weakened over time and collapsed, leaving sinkholes filled with water.
During the ice ages, portions of the underground rivers dried up and water dripping through the limestone left mineral deposits in beautiful formations. Stalactites and stalagmites formed in the caves and caverns, and were covered with water when the rivers began flowing once again.
Meaning to the Maya
The Maya called the sinkholes dzonot, which the Spaniards translated as cenote, which means “sacred well”. For them, cenotes were their only source of fresh water. Maya cities were built around a cenote for the sole purpose of a fresh water source. However some cenotes are a mix of salt water and fresh water, which creates a natural halocline, the area where the salt and fresh water separate.
In addition to a water source, cenotes were considered to be sacred and therefore religious ceremonies often took place. Cenotes are the entrance into the underworld, the most sacred place for the Maya. The Lord of Deaths were believed to live in the Underworld.
The affluent Maya city of Chichén Itzá (translated as “At the mouth of the well of the Itza”), was named after a cenote.
Read more:
http://www.docancun.com/cenotes.html
http://www.yucatantoday.com/en/topics/cenotes-underwater-sinkholes
https://www.locogringo.com/mexico/ways-to-play/riviera-maya/eco-adventure-parks/cenotes-caverns/
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