Discover the beautiful unspoiled ancient “sacred skylight” of the Maya-Travel

The ancient Maya used to worship this place, considered a very sacred well and now it has become a tourist attraction.

The Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico has long been known as a place for adventurous travelers. Characteristic in this land is limestone, a rock that, if exposed to water for a long time, can be said to be dissolved over many millennia.

Limestones do not allow fresh water to accumulate on the ground, instead they will allow water to drain through small holes and form deep holes below the ground. This process continued for millions of years.

According to studies, more than 2,000 years ago, in southeastern Mexico, northern Guatemala and Honduras, aborigines created and developed a brilliant Maya civilization in architecture, mathematics, astronomy, and timing. . At the place where the vestiges of that ancient city are kept, archaeologists begin their journey to uncover the mysteries at the bottom of the cenote – the holy well.

This well is located at the edge of a small cornfield, northwest of the main staircase of El Castillo, the famous central pyramid in Chichen Itza, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. It and other caves and natural wells (also known as cenotes) were once the spiritual site of the ancient Mayans of the Yucatan.

Sometimes, for some reason, the limestone layer collapses, revealing a cave with underground water sources, marking the birth of a cenote (natural pit, sinkhole under the ground).

With the help of modern technology, cenotes are believed to be linked to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Numerous in-depth studies have confirmed that the high density of cenotes marks the giant asteroid crater belt, dating to the Cretaceous period about 66 million years ago.

Several archaeological studies have also found evidence of religious ceremonies taking place around natural deep wells, including sacrifices. Inside the well, the walls form a giant dome, tree roots penetrate the rock to absorb water and stalactites shine in the sun’s rays. When the sun is at its zenith, a beam of light will fall straight into the water.

Next to the walls below the well, in a small niche, human skulls, pottery, dog skulls, deer bones and a double-edged sacrificial knife, neatly placed on a shelf of centuries-old natural stone prior to. Archaeologists have discovered the connection between the sun and the Holtun well and their role in locating the pyramid of El Castillo at Chichén Itza not far away.