No one is quite sure yet why the Mayas suddenly abandoned their impressive temple cities in the jungles of Central America (primarily in present day Guatemala and Honduras) to migrate en masse to the hot, flat, and lightly soiled peninsula of Yucatan.

The land is a virtual block of limestone covered with only a thin but fertile layer of plant supporting soil. There is rain, but there are no rivers. Rainwater quickly percolates through the porous mineral layer and collects in underground hollows.

At some places, the "roofs" of these water filled caverns have collapsed - leaving open wells which give the impression of having been formed by an ice cream scoop.

Called cenotes by the Spanish conquistadors, these unusual wells were central factors in the cultural renewal of the Mayas. They dictated the population concentrations and temple and city sites.

Building their homes and temples close to the rim of one of these cenotes about 1,000 years ago was a powerful family of Mayas known as the Itzas. Their community prospered and grew in political power. It was called Chichen Itza, which literally means "the edge of the Itza well." There actually are two wells at Chichen Itza: one provided daily water for the populace and one (the sacred well or "cenote sagrado") reserved for religious rites.

In the latter days of the civilization, both the Mayas and their religion changed. The once relatively placid people became obsessed with the need for making human sacrifices to appease their gods. During elaborate rites, thousands of Mayans - adorned with ornaments of gold, jade and copper - were dropped into the steep sided well.

The arrival of the Spaniards early in the 16th Century marked the beginning of the end for the Mayas.

The Mayan society dissolved, the locations of its magnificent cities were forgotten and Yucatan itself became all but a forgotten niche of the world.

We know about it now because of the efforts of a few men whose imaginations were fired by the Indian tales of mysterious cities in the jungles. Since those first unbelievably exciting explorations in the late 19th Century, treasures of the Mayas have been displayed in the world.

Many expeditions and organizations have attempted to retrieve the treasures of the cenote sagrado. Their successes varied. The most recent - and most merchandised - exploration occurred a year ago. It was a Mexican-American venture which had the distinction of being financed and equipped by about two dozen corporations and private individuals. Principal sponsor was the Ford Motor Company.

Contributing to its success were three Ford powered Cortezes which housed some of the scientists and technicians. Ford also supplied several pickup campers and other vehicles. Altogether 23 vehicles made the 3,500 mile trip from Pompano Beach in Florida to Yucatan.

Leading the team of 100 scientists, laborers and scuba divers was Norman Scott, director of a Florida based professional treasure diving firm. Expeditions Unlimited, Inc.

The search was conducted under the auspices of Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History with cooperation of the Club of Water Explorations and Sports of Mexico. (CEDAM)

Scott's plan raised many eye brows. He proposed to drain the sacred well of its 8 million gallons of water and then continue the exploration as a normal land excavation. If the pumping plan did not work out, he was ready to use chemical and filters to clarify the nearly opaque water. Divers could then work freely to extract artifacts.

When the long line of vehicles finally pulled up among the restored monuments at Chichen Itza, the members crowded along the well's edge, peering across its 200 foot width and looking down the sheer walls to the murky water 70 foot below.

A Styrofoam raft was built to support diving equipment and a pump. The booster pump, headquarters and maintenance area were set up on the rim. Pumping started and soon exposed a mud bank along the side of the well. Dolls made of wood and wax were recovered and human and animal bones were found. After ten days of pumping a point was reached where the water level could not be further lowered without building a cofferdam around the entire perimeter of the cenote. The cost for this approach was prohibitive so pumping was stopped, and filter clarification and purification of the water began.

Chlorine was pumped into the water and for two days the sacred well was treated much like a swimming pool. When they next looked into the cenote, the scientists could nearly see to the bottom! The mud was sucked up and sifted by archaeologists. The screening table glittered with gold rings and other pieces of Mayan jewelry. Larger items were brought up by the divers.

Discovery of a gold-leaf ceremonial knife led to the suspicion that perhaps the human sacrifices were killed before being thrown into the well. And the majority of bones were identified as those of children under the age of 12. Divers also found small copper bells with stone clappers which jingled around the necks of the children before their deaths.

Following careful cataloging and study, many of the artifacts will be displayed in American museums before being put on permanent display in Mexico City's magnificent Museum of Anthropology.

(Editor's note: If anyone reading this has any additional information concerning this article, please let me know and I will add it)

Article from Via Cortez, Volume 1, Number 1 Fall 1968, from Clark Cortez Division, Clark Equipment Co., Battle Creek, MI.

Special thanks to Isabella Brumwell for submitting this article. Author is unknown at this time.