From this huge natural well in a karstic crater ancient Maya, despite the drought, never took water for irrigation or drinking. Sacred well in Chichen Itza was a place of religious pilgrimage came here to offer sacrifices Hume-Chuck - God of forests and fields. Were thrown into it not only jewelry, but also beautiful girls, and even children.

The ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza in the Yucatan Peninsula attracts tourists with its excellent architectural structures. Especially impressive is the step Pyramid of the Feathered serpent - the temple of KUKULCAN. However, no less popular among tourists is the Sacred cenote - the so-called Pit of death, or the Well of the dead virgins, which is a natural karst crater with a diameter of about 60 m and about the same depth.

As already mentioned, according to the legends and a written source Spanish chroniclers in this well in times of drought Maya threw beautiful girls and jewelry. Sacrifices were offered to Indian gods, to beg for them rain. The fact that rivers in the Yucatan almost there, and rain water easily permeates through the porous limestone and immediately goes into the ground, so all farming Maya directly dependent on precipitation, and drought here was a disaster.

For the first time about the Pit of death in the ancient city of Chichen Itza mentioned in 1566 Spanish Bishop Diego de Landa, who is here, on the Yucatan Peninsula, strenuously fought with the Gentiles. He wrote about the Maya: "they had the custom to put in the well of living people, and they believed them not perish, although they never seen them".

Sacred well Maya

De Landa also mentioned about the jewelry that pilgrims were thrown into the well, which was particularly interested in treasure hunters Indians. "Maya was thrown back and much more, - was noted by de Landa, such as gems and things that are considered the most valuable. And if it was in their country gold, well certainly was a big part of it, such a great honor Indians around this place".

Unknown, did the Spanish conquistadores to get treasures from the bottom of the well, but in any case such attempts were doomed to failure: the depth and otravy layer of mud and silt on the bottom served as a reliable barrier to the profiteers.

The first detailed study of the sacred cenote is connected with the name of Edward Thompson, who in 1885 got the position of the Consul of the USA in the Yucatan. Thompson through influential friends of the known archaeological research centers of the USA was specially made for this purpose. Not the Consul's work attracted him: he just wanted to have the opportunity to combine business with pleasure - the work and study of the ancient Mayan civilization. Especially Thompson was interested in the Pit of death, because he believed write des Landes that at the bottom of it should have been saved countless treasures.

Although Edward Thompson was not an archaeologist, he literally has devoted his life to the study of the Pit of death. Thompson has spent nearly all his wealth to become the owner of the Hacienda of San Isidoro, which were Sacred cenote. The remaining money was spent on the purchase of necessary equipment. With great difficulty, from the U.S. to Chichen Itza was delivered special excavator, which in 1904, was installed on the South Bank of the cenote.

Digger were constantly supplied from the bottom of the cenote portion of dirt, which he carefully examined hired Thompson Indians. For a long time, except rotten branches and stones, dirt, nothing came across, but the Indians found two strange ball, which was lumps kopalova resin used Maya during religious rites. Then dredge learned a well-preserved skull of a young girl and a pair of women's sandals, which confirmed entries des Landes on human sacrifices. Digger was raised to the surface new bones and pieces of ancient objects - vessels, wooden tools obsidian knives, pieces of jade... But Thompson knew that, only plunging to the bottom of the cenote, you can explore all of its cavities and crevices.

In 1909 Thompson caused by Telegraph two divers who was taken to the well all the necessary equipment. He was determined to personally go down to the bottom of the cenote and so for a short period of time has passed "beginner diver". Indians anxiously watched as their master, of which they are the years of joint work, fell in love, fell in the water of the Well of death. They believed that in the well is inhabited not only spirits but also a terrible monster.

Neither spirits nor monsters Thompson at the bottom of a well not seen, there was absolute darkness. Although treasure had to touch findings followed one after another - statuettes made of jade, gold figurines, rings and bells, weapons, and items of everyday life of the ancient Maya. Especially I was impressed gold embossed disks depicting religious and military episodes from the lives of Indians. Among the most significant findings were beautiful mask and a crown of gold. On the last adorned feathered serpent.

Once Thompson, thinking about new findings, forgot to open before the rise of air valves and with great speed began to rise to the surface. Although he had during lifting open the valve, it still has hit the bottom of the pontoon, which led to a significant hearing loss. Some were inclined to see in this incident a certain resemblance of "curse of the pharaohs", believing that in this way Thompson bore the condemnation of the invasion of the Kingdom of the dead and the desecration of ancient shrines. But do not forget that the Amateur archaeologist was quite inexperienced diver. But despite that, he still managed to realize his dream and reveal the mystery of the sacred cenote.

The result Thompson has assembled this collection of fine jewelry and subjects of a life of the ancient Maya, which donated the Peabody Museum at Harvard University.

However, the contents of the Pit of death haunted and another researcher - the Mexican Davalos Hurtado. In 1960, Hurtado, who has been a modern cutter suction projectile and a team of divers, has again taken a real assault on the sacred cenote. Expectations Mexican scientist were fully justified: the first day found the figure Mayan deity, fashioned from rubber. Then finds followed one after another. Although gold objects among them practically was not, all that was possible to get, from the historical point of view was priceless.

The Davalos Hurtado wanted to drain the Pit of death and completely remove all ancient objects from the bottom of it, but to realize the idea due to premature death was not in time. The initiator of the third survey of the well in Chichen Itza in 1967 was F. kirk Johnson. This time in the water cenote was added chlorine which destroyed the small algae and made transparent water. Due to this we managed to get a lot of ceramic and other products, as well as numerous human remains.

Unfortunately, the "excavations" cenote it was impossible to carry out, as expected, layer by layer, so to date findings on layers failed. Archaeologists determined the age by comparing them with similar findings from other places. Interestingly, many things that scientists have attributed to the earliest age, were before sacrificing "killed", i.e. deliberately damaged, figurines made of jade broken, products from gold crumpled. In the early period, from IX to XI century, when Chichen Itza was in full bloom, sacrificed many products made of jade and gold, and in late, especially in the XIII-XVI centuries, the ruling elite of the city poor, because the well was abandoned mainly copper bells, carved wooden objects and vessels with the remains of burnt kopalova resin.

Although, according to ancient legend, the sacrifice of the cenote was brought lovely girl and it was even called the Well of the dead virgins, the study of several dozens of human remains recovered from the bottom, showed that ritual victims were not only girls, but also men and even children.