SACRED LANDSCAPES - Reflections on the Management of Cenotes
provides valuable insight into recognising
and managing complex sacred landscapes, specifically
cenotes, through a landscape architectural lens, with a
special focus on their relational layers of values and
the lack of recognition of their sacredness, closely
related to the invisibility of contemporary Mayan identity,
in collaboration with local communities, and within
contemporary contexts.

Cenotes are depressions formed by the collapse and
dissolution of limestone, exposing the water table and
forming an interconnected system of underground
caves and rivers. They are sources of life, habitats, and
sites of historical and economic value, as well as
sacred wells within the Mayan cosmovision — living,
conscious, and powerful landscapes. Yet today, cenotes
are often simplified, touristified, and managed
through regulations that ignore their sacred value.

The project develops a Sacred Management approach
based on overlapping layers of place meanings, recognising
sacredness, transforming perception through
interaction, moving toward a new form of management.

CENOTES
ARE NOT
POOLS,
BUT
SACRED
WELLS,
deserving
of respect