Chultun

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A chultun (plural: chultunob) is a bottle-shaped cistern built underground by the pre-Columbian Maya. Their entrances were surrounded by plastered aprons which guided rainwater into them during the rainy seasons.

Chultunob were typically constructed in locations where naturally-occurring cenotes were absent. While many were constructed to collect water, not all served that purpose. Some were used for storage, while others were used for burial or perhaps ritual sacrifice.