A diver explores a cenote near the Maya ruins of Tulum.<br>
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A diver explores a cenote near the Maya ruins of Tulum.
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Secrets of the Maya Otherworld
Ancient Maya believed that the rain god Chaak resided in caves and natural wells called cenotes. Maya farmers today in Mexico’s parched Yucatán still appeal to Chaak for the gift of rain. Meanwhile cenotes are giving archaeologists new insights into the sacred landscapes of the ancestral Maya.
This story appears in the August 2013 issue of National Geographic magazine.
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