Cave entrance
Cenote Chan Hol
A cenote entrance to the Chan Hol cave, part of Sistema Toh Ha, where prehistoric human skeletons have been studied; archaeological material lies near the entrance and divers are asked to keep clear.
Chan Hol cenote leads into a shallow cave that a 2020 PLOS ONE study places about 15 km south-west of Tulum and 11.5 km from the coast, with a maximum depth of about 13 m and a halocline at about 9 m. QRSS recorded Chan Hol's connection to Sistema Toh Ha in 2007.
The cave has yielded several prehistoric human skeletons. The Chan Hol 3 woman was found in 2016 in a low tunnel 1,141 m from the cenote during survey work under INAH permits; the Chan Hol 2 skeleton was taken by unknown cave divers a few weeks after its discovery. Under the Jungle notes archaeological items at the entrance and asks divers to keep their distance and not disturb them.
Because of its archaeological sensitivity, this record gives no coordinates.
The environment
Shallow cave with low tunnels, a halocline around 9 m and archaeological deposits.
Every fact on this page, with its source (7)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Chan Hol cenote lies about 15 km south-west of Tulum and 11.5 km from the coast. | Verified | [3] |
| The PLOS ONE study gives Chan Hol cave a maximum depth of about 13 m below present sea level and a halocline at about 9 m water depth. | Verified | [3] |
| QRSS recorded Toh Ha's connection to Chan-hol in March 2007. | Verified | [2] |
| The Chan Hol 3 skeleton was found in September 2016 in a low tunnel 1,141 m from the cenote under INAH permits, and the Chan Hol 2 skeleton was stolen by unknown cave divers a few weeks after discovery. | Verified | [3] |
| Under the Jungle notes archaeological items at the Chan Hol entrance and asks divers to keep their distance and not disturb them. | Reported | [4] |
| Chan Hol is not on CREER's list of rated cenotes.Viewed 2026-10-14. | Verified | [1] |
| Research in Chan Hol has been carried out under INAH permits; no public access rules were found.Absence of published rules is not a closure. | Reported | [3] |
Verified: stated by an official or primary source we opened. Reported: from a secondary source only. Sources conflict: the note gives both versions. May be out of date: the newest source we found is old.
Written in our own words from the sources above. Report a correction