In Maní, a town of Maya and colonial history in southern Yucatán, Xcabachén is easy to misunderstand. It is a small, partly open cenote reached by steps, not a vast swimming cave. The state tourism office describes it among the town's cultural sights, near the convent and civic centre. Before descending, look around: the streets, the convent of San Miguel and the life of the town supply the setting that a photograph of water alone cannot provide.
The name is written Xcabachén or Xcabachen in visitor material. Yucatán's tourism guide describes the descent beneath a stone arch and a plaque associated with Diego de Landa. Yucatán Today places the entrance near the town hall and convent. These are useful orientation points, but the site deserves more than a pin on a map. Its significance comes from the relationship between a Maya water place and the history told around it. The account on a sign, the archaeology of the town and a legend repeated by residents are different sorts of evidence.
