The Sacred Cenote of Chichén Itzá

What it looks like

A near-circular open cenote around 60 m across, with steep walls dropping about 27 m to green water. A small platform at the edge was used for ceremonies.

Dredging and discoveries

In the early 1900s the American Edward H. Thompson dredged the cenote and recovered thousands of objects, including jade, gold discs, copper bells, copal and human bones. Later Mexican projects in the 1960s recovered more material.

Why it mattered

Spanish accounts from the 1500s describe people travelling from far away to make offerings here, especially in times of drought, asking Chaac for rain.

Visiting today

• It is inside the Chichén Itzá archaeological zone (same ticket)
• Follow the sacbé path north from El Castillo
• No swimming; for a swim, nearby cenotes like Ik Kil are open to visitors

Size in numbers

Wikipedia gives the cenote a diameter of about 60 m, with sheer walls dropping about 27 m to the water. The underwater part is full of vegetation and silt, which is one reason it is not used for swimming.

Later explorations

After Thompson, Mexican institutions led new work in the 1960s, using divers and pumps to recover more objects (reported). Many pieces Thompson shipped to Harvard's Peabody Museum were later returned to Mexico in several stages (reported).

What Diego de Landa wrote

The Spanish bishop Diego de Landa, writing in the 1560s, said people threw living men and valuable objects into the well in times of drought, a key early source for the sacrifice story.

Size and setting

The Sacred Cenote is a large round sinkhole at the north end of Chichén Itzá, reported at about 50 by 60 m across with steep walls dropping more than 20 m to the water. A raised ancient road (sacbé) links it to the main plaza.

What the Spanish wrote

Bishop Diego de Landa described in the 1500s how offerings, and sometimes people, were thrown into the cenote, especially in times of drought, as gifts to the rain god Chaac.

What divers and dredgers found

In the early 1900s Edward H. Thompson dredged the cenote, and later projects in the 1960s continued the work. Tens of thousands of objects came up: jade, gold and copper, incense, pottery, wooden items, and the remains of many people, both children and adults.

Can you swim in it?

No. It is a protected archaeological site and swimming is forbidden. To swim near Chichén Itzá, visit Ik Kil or other nearby cenotes.