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Maya Compendia
(extracts from my book)
Cenote Sagrado/Sacred Sinkhole
The sinkhole was believed to be one of the main
entrances to the Underworld and the place where you could find the
Rain God, Chaak. In this sanctuary, offerings were made to the god
and thanks to various explorations like that of Edward Herbert
Thompson (Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.A., 1856- 1935), from 1904
to 1911, objects of jadeite, ceramics, adornments of gold and copper
were found. Mexican expeditions like that of Román Piña Chan (Campeche,
Campeche, Mexico, 1920-2001) discovered that the offerings were made
after the 8th Century. Among the offerings, textiles, wooden spears
and gold and bronze rattles were recovered.
Although some human remains were found there, it could not be proved
that the mythical oral tradition of sacrificing young virgins, was
true. The sinkhole has a near circular form with a diameter
of 60m. The straight walls are 22m above the water level. The ruins
of a construction at the foot of the sinkhole appear to be the
remains of a steam bath.
After visiting the sacred sinkhole and returning
on the same path, on the right, you’ll see a group of cylindrical
rocks, part of a musical instrument - a xylophone made of stone.
Human Sacrifice
As in the case of other Mesoamerican cultures
(Aztec, Toltec), the Maya saw human sacrifice as a way to feed the
gods. If the gods were not fed they would perish and trigger the
destruction of the world.
Prisoners of war were natural candidates for
human sacrifice. We can recreate human sacrifice by looking at
documents left by the Aztecs. The prisoners were well treated and
took part in various rituals, such as purification rites. As a
result, the identity of the prisoners changed from human to divine
and when they were sacrificed (under the effects of drugs) their
hearts were removed and offered to the gods. The hearts were then
burnt and the smoke rose to the heavens to feed the gods. By
sacrificing prisoners people would ensure the survival of the gods
and ultimately the continuation of their own lives.
As the sacrificed prisoners were no longer
considered human but incarnations of the gods, during the ritual act
of cannibalism (when the remains of the body were eaten), the people
believed that they were not eating human flesh but that of the gods.
In these circumstances this cannibalism cannot be seen as
“gastronomic”.
Ceremonies
Self-sacrifices. Some people pierced their
tongues, earlobes, and sexual organs and offered their blood to the
gods. The blood was burned together with paper, plant resin, rubber
and the instrument used to perform the self-sacrifice, such as the
spines from the tail of a sting ray, ropes, etc.
Sacrifices of animals.
Human sacrifices (of prisoners of war, slaves or people chosen by
their date of birth). The victims were either decapitated or had
their hearts torn out.
Dances, songs, dramas and prayers.
Fasting and sexual abstinence.
The use of hallucinogenic mushrooms, fermented drinks (balché),
wild tobacco, special foods and psychotropic flowers.
Offerings of: animals, plants, flowers, statues, incense,
turquoise, obsidian, jadeite, bronze and gold amongst others.
Older women (who had gone through the menopause), were the only
ones permitted to participate in the rituals.
The author was born in
Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico in 1968. He is actually working as a
tour guide and lives in Cancún. Among his many and different
activities: he owns a website for
hotel reservations in Cancun,
edits a cultural monthly
magazine and his own books.
ph: +52 (998) 112
1003 (Nextel) CD 62*15*66939
jahg1968@gmail.com info@cancunideas.com |
