USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -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. Major Maya settlements required access to adequate water supplies, and therefore cities, including the famous Chichen Itza, were built around these natural wells.

Detailed explanation-2: -The cenotes for the Maya culture have been a symbol of duality since they represented life and death. They were a water source for the Maya cities and represented the gateway to the world of the dead: the Xibalbá.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Mayans gave a sacred meaning to these wells, to which they gave two fundamental uses: they were sources of life for the fresh water they contained, but they were also ideal places to make offerings and sacrifice people as a way to honor the gods.

Detailed explanation-4: -These holes began to fill with rainwater creating the extensive system of underwater rivers that formed the natural wells, cenotes. The Mayans used them as a source of drinking water and for sacrifices.

Detailed explanation-5: -In Mexico’s northern Yucatán Peninsula, where there are few lakes or streams, cenotes provided a stable supply of water for the ancient Maya people who settled there. The great city of Chichén Itzá was built around a cluster of these natural wells, including the one known as the Cenote of Sacrifice.