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Chichén Itzá - Xtoloc Cenote

by Dorothy and Bill Bell

This is the second largest cenote in Chichén Itzá and unlike the Sacred Cenote, this one was used as a water reservoir. It was named after the most common iguana of the region. When the city was inhabited, the cenote was surrounded by chuchultunes or storage tanks that provided water to the population. It had a ramp - possibly a staircase - so people could walk to the water level and fill their containers.

While the Xtoloc Cenote served a utilitarian purpose, it should be remembered that the Maya believed that cenotes were the passages to the underground and afterlife.

At the side there is a temple with columns and three chambers named  Xtoloc. The columns held an angular roof. It was likely used for religious ceremonies. There are sculptured figures of priests and warriors and an altar with designs of plants and birds in the Mayan mythology. Human remains were found here in a container of offerings to the Gods.

 
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