Mystery of the Mayan sacrificial well: what treasure seekers found at the bottom of the holy cenote

The mysterious sacred Mayan cenote is located in the ancient city of Chichen Itza in Mexico. According to the researchers, this well performed an important ritual function and was used for sacrifices during severe droughts and crop failures. To achieve the mercy of the gods, the Mayans threw jewelry, golden objects into the holy cenote and even sacrificed people.

Scientists believe that the last sacrifice was completely in Chichen Itza, shortly before the arrival of the Spanish colonialists in the beginning of the 16th century, after which the city completely lost its political and religious significance. The sacred cenote was abandoned and gradually began to overgrow.

The sacred cenote, whose depth is about 50 meters, is located north of the main temple structures of Chichen Itza and from the central pyramid of Kukulkan. A sacred path with a length of about 300 meters leads to it.

The treasure hunters and the precious metal quickly learned about the possible wealth stored at the bottom of the well. Since then, the sacred cenote has not given rest to lovers of adventure and easy money, who were not stopped by the fact that the well was sacred and it contains the remains of the dead.

One of the first documentary evidence of the sacrificial well is considered the records of the Spanish priest Diego de Landa. A book written by him in 1566 describes the cenote north of Chichen Itza as a repository of large quantities of gold and valuable objects. But getting to the bottom of the well was not possible.

At the end of the XIX century, the American Edward Herbert Thompson came to the Yucatan Peninsula, who was the US diplomatic representative and part-time very wealthy man. Inspired by the testimony of a Spanish clergyman, Edward Thompson acquired an excavator and diving suits. With the help of this simple inventory, he managed to get from the bottom of the sacred well many weapons, precious bowls and goblets, gold, jade and copper jewelry. It is worth noting that the total value of the products found was second only to the riches of the tomb of Tutankhamun. It was a grand find.

In addition, the remains of 42 people were found at the bottom of the well, which partly confirmed the version that not only valuable objects and weapons, but also people were thrown into the well as sacrifices. Although it is not known for certain under what circumstances these people were there, and in what period of time this happened.

But the search for the American diplomat did not end well research. In the 60s of the last century, scientists from the University of Mexico made two attempts to study the contents of the sacred cenote. Two wooden thrones, many jewelry and ritual objects, and the bones of people and animals were removed from the bottom silt.

Today, the holy cenote is visited by tourists coming to the ancient city of Chichen Itza. The city itself is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is under the protection of the Mexican leadership. The sacrificial well is gradually overgrown with tropical shrubs, and the peaceful atmosphere reigning around is in no way associated with the terrible events that took place here hundreds of years ago.

Watch the video: Skulls Found in "Evil" Maya Sinkhole. National Geographic (May 2024).