Balankanche (also Balancanche, Balaamcanche, Balaancanche) is an ancient Maya cave site lying at short distance from the archaeological Maya-Toltec city of

Chichen Itza Chichen Itza , es, Chichén Itzá , often with the emphasis reversed in English to ; from yua, Chiʼchʼèen Ìitshaʼ () "at the mouth of the well of the Itza people" was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people of the Terminal ...

, Yucatan. For more than two thousand years, it has been the focus of rituals dedicated to the Maya rain god,

Chaac Chaac (also spelled Chac or, in Classic Mayan, Chaahk ) is the name of the Maya god of rain, thunder, and lighting. With his lightning axe, Chaac strikes the clouds, causing them to produce thunder and rain. Chaac corresponds to Tlaloc among ...

, and, in the Post-Classic period, also to his

Toltec The Toltec culture () was a Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture that ruled a state centered in Tula (Mesoamerican site), Tula, Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, Mexico, during the Epiclassic and the early Post-Classic period of Mesoam ...

counterpart, Tlaloc. The cave complex was visited by Edward Thompson and

Alfred Tozzer Alfred Marston Tozzer (July 4, 1877 – October 5, 1954) was an American anthropologist, archaeologist, linguist, and educator. His principal area of interest was Mesoamerican, especially Maya, studies. He was the husband of Margaret Castle Toz ...

in 1905 and has since 1932 been explored and studied by various Mexican and US scholars. Small buildings and platforms surrounded the cave's entrance; inside, stairs, walls, altars and ritual displays of ceramics (especially censers) and small stone implements were discovered. The site has been made accessible for tourists. Caves of Balakanche 2D map en

Notes

Bibliography

* Bruce Rogers, Grutas de Balancanche. // AMCS Activities Newsletter No. 2

May 2004. pp. 79–83. * E. Wyllys Andrews IV. Balankanche, Throne of the Tiger Priest. Tulane University, 1970. . * {{DEFAULTSORT:Balankanche Cave sites in Mesoamerican archaeology Caves of Mexico Pre-Columbian era

Cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

Landforms of Yucatán