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Sacred Blue Cenote

CENOTE IK KIL

Things to do here:

Be attractive the Maya Way!
Attend Double-Braid's Inauguration
Discuss Rituals and Ceremonies
Article: Mayan Ear Flares
Maya Blue Mystery

Cenote diver

Magical and Enigmatic Cenotes

Cenotes are unique in all the world. Once the only resource for fresh, sweet water in the local Yucatecan jungle, cenotes became the sacred places of the Maya and represented the entrance to the underworld. Called dzonot (ZO-note) by the Maya, the conquering Spaniards translated the word as cenote - prounounced as say–NO–tay.

Millions of years ago, the Yucatan Peninsula was covered by the ocean. Some 15,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, the sea level descended approximately 250 feet. Since the peninsula is a porous limestone shelf (fossilized coral and limestone), for thousands of years it has filtered rainwater, which dissolved parts of the subsoil, and created an underground fresh water system formed by flooded underground rivers and caverns. Where the fresh water collected, a cenote or water sink hole was formed. The water that gathered in these subterranean cenotes is a crystal clear turquoise color with a very pleasant temperature of 78°F.

There are four different types of cenotes:

• those that are completely underground,
• those that are semi-underground,
• those that are at land level like a lake or pond (see Xlacah at Dzibilchaltun)
• and those that are open wells, like our Sacred Blue Cenote in Chichen Itza.

The stalactites and stalagmites that form inside the cenotes are true natural works of art. In many, holes in the ceiling allow the sunlight to filter into the cenotes, giving the scene a magical feeling. The cenotes of Yucatan are a natural treasure that should be seen by all, keeping in mind that they should be protected so that man does not destroy in a few days what nature took millions of years to create.

About Ik Kil:
Ik Kil is located 1.8 miles from Chichen Itza. It is a perfectly round, well-type open cenote with lush vegetation and exuberant waterfalls; 196 feet wide and about 130 feet deep. A grand stairway leads down into the water. In periods of drought, Ik Kil was used for human sacrifices to the rain god Chaahk.

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