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135 In Europe prehistoric archaeology has largely been established on the results of exploration in caves. More recently archaeological data have been obtained from cave investigation in the United States. As might be expected, therefore, the cenotes of Yucatán have yielded remunerative finds of the same nature. In a land lacking rivers and lakes, cenotes served the ancient Maya of Yucatán both as important sources of water and as sacred places where man could propitiate the gods. Because dwelling centers as well as religious groups often developed around these deep natural wells, an excavator might expect to find in them layers of both utilitarian and ceremonial refuse. Plenty of artifacts have, indeed, been encountered in the few cenotes so far, dug, although rarely in undisturbed human rubbish layers. The dredging of the Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itzá produced a considerable collection of unstratified ceremonial objects. The excavation of Cenote X-Coton (Smith 1953) at Mayapán uncovered ceremonial and utilitarian pottery and other artifacts associated with artificial constructions resting on a leveled fill of dirt laid down during the Mayapán period. Although stratigraphy was well marked in the successive fill levelings in this part of the cenote, a clear-cut chronological sequence was lacking because the fill was composed of refuse debris. The town cenote at Mani, however, yielded a sequence ranging from pre-Classic to postconquest deposits (Brainerd 1942:255), indicating that extensive chronological deposition may be found in cenotes. During the 1953 season two cenotes were investigated : Ch’en Mu1 at Mayapán, and one in the nearby village of Telchaquillo. Further research was also done at Cenote X-Coton. Our knowledge of cenotes was thereby increased by the finding in both Ch’en Mu1 and X-Coton of early kancab deposits that had been mined by the ancient Maya. C u r r e n t R e p o r t s Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 12 January 1954 Cenote Exploration at Ma yapán and T elchaquillo RobeRt e. Smith RobeRt e. Smith 136 Kancab (kankab or chac kancab) is red earth. It is used today, and presumably was used in preconquest times, as a slip for pottery and, with sascab (marl) and grass, in the construction of native house walls. Redfield and Villa (1934:35) mention that it is mostly found where ants live. They suggest that ant hills may be employed for these purposes. A very deep deposit of red earth on Actun Spukil, disturbed by the ancient Maya possibly for use on pottery or house walls, is recorded by Hatt (1953:23). Kancab thus furnishes another reason for man’s use of cenotes. Cenote Ch’en Mul The first two months of the 1953 season were spent investigating Cenote Ch’en Mul, just east of Str. Q162 , the Castillo, at Mayapán (Jones 1952, map). This cenote was selected because of its important location in the main ceremonial group, its large size, the number of its water holes, and the abundance of visible potsherds as well as the considerable depth of debris unearthed in two test trenches dug some years ago by Brainerd (1942:254–255). Ch’en Mul is a jug-shaped cenote with low cavelike extensions (Fig. 12.2; east and west extensions not shown on plan). A few banana trees grow on the floor in soil washed in through the rather large circular opening. The mouth is near the southern end of the cavern, which is roofed by natural rock extending north and northeast for more than 60 m and possibly as far to the west, a low roofed area hard to penetrate. Three main water holes were located by following paths strewn with pottery. The largest, Z (Fig. 12.2), about 4 m in diameter and most accessible, is approximately 40 m north and slightly east of the mouth. The other two, reached by some of the smallest laborers, are in the extreme east and west sections of the cenote that are difficult to crawl to. Before work began, a number of depressions (Fig. 12.2, W,X,Y) flanking the path to the north waterhole (z) were observed to be bristling with potsherds . During the period of high water these small pools probably served the people until recession of the water made available the deeper water hole. The depressions were systematically cleaned. W, 50 cm deep, was divided into three strata. The two lower strata averaged 20 cm each...

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