Archaeological Discovery, 2024, 12, 83-92 https://www.scirp.org/journal/ad ISSN Online: 2331-1967 ISSN Print: 2331-1959 DOI: 10.4236/ad.2024.122005 Mar. 11, 2024 83 Archaeological Discovery Cenote Xbis: The House of Rain James E. Brady, Guillermo de Anda Department of Anthropology, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA Abstract This article reports on a sacbe discovered by the Gran Aquífero Maya in the cave/cenote of Xbis, Hoctún, Yucatán, Mexico. The sacbe is the first reported example of a ritual roadway constructed in a Maya cave. The current study details how the construction incorporated elements of the natural cavescape to create Xbis as a significant sacred landmark. The sacbe led to a large pool of water and was constructed into the pool, allowing passage to a large spe- leothem column without entering the water. Ethnographic data suggests that such cave formations may have been the physical representation of a deity and were the focus of ritual. In addition, water droplets falling from thousands of active stalactites created the effect that it is always raining in the cave. It is proposed that the cave was appropriated and elaborated by elites for ritual because it proclaimed their control over the forces of nature. Keywords Maya, Cenote, Sacbe, Speleothem, Cave, Ritual 1. Introduction During its systematic survey of caves and cenotes in villages mentioned in the inquisitional records, the Gran Aquífero Maya (GAM) directed by Guillermo de Anda discovered a small cave leading to the aquifer in the cabecera of Hoctún in 2007 (Figure 1). Anda mapped and explored the cave with students from the Un- iversidad Autónoma de Yucatán and filed a short report (Anda, 2007) (Figure 2). GAM revisited the site in June of 2022 to collect additional information. Ce- note Xbis is located within a developed portion of the town, so no evidence of prehispanic architecture is apparent surrounding the cenote entrance. The cave entrance is a small cavity, approximately 1.5 m in diameter, with a 2 m vertical drop to the cave floor (Figure 3). For the first 50 m, the ceiling is too low to permit visitors to walk upright. Beyond this point, one enters the dark zone of the cave. An alignment of stones is visible, which rapidly becomes a How to cite this paper: Brady, J. E., & An- da, G. de (2024). Cenote Xbis: The House of Rain. Archaeological Discovery, 12, 83-92. https://doi.org/10.4236/ad.2024.122005 Received: January 5, 2024 Accepted: March 8, 2024 Published: March 11, 2024 Copyright © 2024 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access