Chultun

Chultún ( Yucatec Maya, plural chultunoob ) is built by the Maya in pre-Columbian cistern. In the dry areas of the Yucatán Peninsula, in particular in the region of the Puuc they served in the first line of the drinking water supply during the dry season. They are found there in large numbers, so 300 Chultúns in Sayil. In the southern part of the peninsula, the Petén and adjacent areas occurs the Chultún less frequently, often has a different shape with a lateral chamber and was created to store various goods (but possibly only for the nuts of the bread nut tree ) alcoholic and perhaps for the fermentation of beverages be used.

Construction

The Chultún as a cistern was dug at the site of a planned platform in the relatively soft bedrock. The shape is dome - to bell-shaped, it has an approximately 1 meter long tubular access from above ( "neck" ), which initially served to remove the excavated material, later access to the stored water was. The diameter is just sufficient that a slender person can slide through ( 40-65 centimeters). The cavity is 2.5 to 3 meters high and measures about 6 feet in diameter. The bottom surface is usually somewhat irregular. In the construction of the platform on the then mostly residential buildings were built, a radius of 3 to 4 meters in diameter, was designed slightly inclined. On the platform around the " neck " a brick structure was built, which is intersected by four mostly relatively narrow channels through which the water could run from the slightly sloping quilt in the Chultún, with larger objects such as leaves were held. Central to the "neck" came on the mentioned construction, a stone ring to lie in its opening a stone plug was set. The plug was removed only to the withdrawal of water. The water extraction was done with special pottery vessels, by their knobs cords were drawn, which allowed the Down and Let Pulling up. The still broken vessels can be found today at the bottom of Chultúns.

The inner walls of Chultúns made ​​waterproof with a thick layer of plaster. The water only reached a height of 1.5 to 2 meters, such as deposits show on the walls during the rainy season. Often found on the stucco cladding plastic executed representations of aquatic animals, especially frogs.