Cenote Xbis: The House of Rain

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Subterranean in Mesoamerican Cultural Landscapes" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Gran Acuífero Maya discovered an important archaeological feature constructed within a cenote in Hoctún, Yucatán, Mexico. Cenote Xbis contains a well-built sacbe 3.5 m wide and more than 60 m long that leads to a large pool of water at the back of the cave. Two speleothem columns appear to have been significant in the layout of the sacbe, which curves around the first and terminates at the second. The final segment of the roadway allows passage to the second column without entering the water. Thousands of broken and smoke-blacked stalactites are attached to the ceiling. The many active formations show regrowth indicating that the breakage is not recent. The sound of dripping water from the stalactites creates the impression of rain. A platform and a rock art panel were also noted.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Subterranean in Mesoamerican Cultural Landscapes   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36069.0