Ik Kil is a

cenote A cenote ( or ; ) is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater. The regional term is specifically associated with the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, where cenotes were commonly used for ...

outside Pisté in the Tinúm Municipality,

Yucatán Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate mun ...

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. It is located in the northern center of the

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...

and is part of the Ik Kil Archeological Park near

Chichen Itza Chichen Itza , es, Chichén Itzá , often with the emphasis reversed in English to ; from yua, Chiʼchʼèen Ìitshaʼ () "at the mouth of the well of the Itza people" was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people of the Termi ...

. It is open to the public for swimming.

Description

The cenote is open to the sky with the water level about below ground level. There is a carved stairway that leads down to a swimming platform. The cenote is about in diameter and about deep. Cenote Ik Kil is near the Mayan ruins of

, on the highway to

Valladolid Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peo ...

. Ik Kil was considered sacred by the Mayans who used the site as a location for human sacrifice to their rain god,

Chaac Chaac (also spelled Chac or, in Classic Mayan, Chaahk ) is the name of the Maya god of rain, thunder, and lighting. With his lightning axe, Chaac strikes the clouds, causing them to produce thunder and rain. Chaac corresponds to Tlaloc among ...

. Bones and pieces of jewelry were found in the deep waters of this cenote by archaeologists and speleologists. The cenote is part of a complex that includes a restaurant and hotel."cenote Ik Kil at Valladolid Mexico"
Ik Kil was a location on the

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, established in 2009 and created by Red Bull, is an annual international series of cliff diving events in which a limited number of competitors determine the Cliff Diving World Series winner. Divers j ...

in 2010, 2011 and 2014. Mexico cave steps

References

External links

National GeographicLonely Planet
{{coords, 20.6609, -88.5505, display=title Natural history of Yucatán Sinkholes of Mexico Museums in Yucatán

Description

See also

References

External links