Cenotes, Caves, and Rain Gods: The Sacred Geography of Chichen Itza

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Subterranean in MesoAmerican Sacred Landscapes: A Multidisciplinary Assessment" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

One of the striking features of the Yucatan peninsula are the many cenotes that dot the landscape, a unique natural feature factored into the ritual and religion of the region’s inhabitants. The landscape itself, dotted throughout with these cenotes, form cosmograms that recall the primordial landscape of creation and become essential to settlement. The site of Chichen Itza is a prime example of this. As much as the cenotes are considered part of the site core of Chichen Itza, so too should the caves that were dedicated to the rain cult. Like the Sacred Cenote and Cenote Xtoloc, the caves Balamkanché and Balamkú would have also been magnets drawing settlement to the area. The sacbeob linking Chichen Itza to these caves devoted to Tlaloc are statements of appropriation that tie these landmarks to the site core.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• The Subterranean in MesoAmerican Sacred Landscapes: A Multidisciplinary Assessment

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 50687