Chichen Itza The Sweat Bath

 

Chichen Itza The Sweat Bath

Chichen Itza The Sweat Bath. There are a number of steam baths in Chichén Itzá.

Sweat baths were used for cleanliness, healing and spiritual purification and sometimes as a place to induce visions by Mayan leaders, clerics and nobility. They were also used in ceremony to purify and appease the Gods.

Constructed of stone walls and ceilings, they had a steam “chimney” to let the vapors out. Water was poured onto hot rocks producing steam. The baths had seats, drainage lines, ventilation and sometimes a waiting area. They were often located near to ball courts.