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Quintana Roo Cave Names and Translations

last updated 10 January, 2022


Caves do have interesting names! Below is a short list of cave names in Quintana Roo and their loose translation from Spanish or Maya, into English. Maya is basically a spoken language; we are translating from the Yucatec (northern Yucatan Peninsula) dialect below. There are confusing instances where a Maya word may have another meaning, depending on its position in the phrase or how the word is pronounced. 


     

Cave Name

Dialect Translation
     
Cueva Aak Kimin Maya ...dead turtle cave.
Sistema Abejas Spanish ...bee system.
Sistema Abejas Negras Spanish ...black bee system.
Sistema Actun Chen Maya ...cave of the well system.
Sistema Actun Hu Maya ...iguana cave system.
Sistema Actun Koh Maya ...puma cave system.
Cenote Ak Tulum Maya ...turtle of Tulum cenote.
Sistema Aktun Sataal Maya ...lost cave system.
Cenote Alkab Ha Maya ...swift-moving water cenote.
Sistema Altar Maya Spanish ...Maya Altar system.
Sistema Altar Tigre Spanish ...Jaguar Altar system.
Cenote Avicola Spanish ...chicken ranch cenote.
Sistema Ayim Maya ...crocodile system.
Sistema Baab Zotz Maya ...swimming bats system.
Cenote Balche Maya ...honey liquor cenote.
Entrada Caapechen Maya ...two well entrance.
Entrada Camarón Spanish ...shrimp entrance.
Cenote Caritas Spanish ...little faces
Sistema Chac Luum Maya ...red earth system.
Sistema Chac-Mol Maya ...jaguar system.
Cenote Chan Ayim Maya ...little crocodile cenote.
Cenote Chan-hol Maya ...little hole cenote.
Cueva Chen Am Spanish (Maya) ...cave of the spider well.
Cenote Chi chan K'uk'um Maya ...little feather cenote.
Chu muk ch' o' Maya ...one half rat.
Chuup Ich Maya ...swollen eye.
Cenote Cocodrilo Spanish ...crocodile cenote.
Sistema Corona Spanish (English) ...crown or Covid-19 cenote.
Cenote Dos Ayim Spanish (Maya) ...two crocodile cenote.
Sistema Dos Ojos Spanish ...two eyes system.
Cenote Dos Palmas Spanish ...two palms cenote
Sistema Dos Pisos (Ka'p'el Nah) Spanish (Maya) ...two floors cave system.
Dzonot Maya ...cenote.
Cenote Eb Maya ...(stair) step cenote.
Sistema Ek Be Maya ...star road system.
Sistema El Puente Spanish ...the bridge system
Sistema Esperanza Spanish ...hope cave system.
Cenote Hatzutz Actun Maya ...beautiful cave cenote.
Cenote Herradura Spanish ...horseshoe ("shaped") cenote.
Cenote Ich Kin Maya ...sun face cenote.
Cenote Ich Tun Maya ...stone face cenote.
Sistema Ich Tunich Maya ...eye of the stone (face) system.
Cenote Ka'as Maya ...ugly cenote.
Cenote Kan'pe Box Kin Maya ...four black suns cenote.
Cenote Kiix Pepem Maya ...sharp, spiked, or thorny butterfly cenote.
Cenote Kolibri German ...hummingbird cenote; is Colibri in Spanish.
Sistema K'oox baal Maya ...wild thing system.
Cenote K'oxul Maya ...mosquito cenote.
Cenote Koxul ka'an Maya ...(where the) mosquitoes are born cenote.
Laguna Lagarto Spanish ...crocodile lagoon.
Cenote Mancha Spanish ...stain(ed) cenote.
Sistema Mol Balaam Maya ...group of jaguars system.
Sistema Mundo Escondido Spanish ...hidden world system.
Sistema Nachan Ha Maya ...far (distant) water.
Sistema Naranjal Spanish ...orange grove system.
Cenote Ni Ha Maya ...cenote nose water
Nohoch Ha Maya ...big water.
Sistema Nohoch Kai Maya ...big fish system.
Sistema Nohoch Kiin (Kin) Maya ...big sun system.
Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich Maya ...big bird house system.
Sistema Nohoch Pek Mata ...big dog system.
Nuh(k)uch Actun Maya ...many big caves.
Sistema Ox Bel Ha Maya ...three paths of water system.
Cenote Ox Pal Maya ...three children cenote.
Entrada Oxpechen Maya ...three well entrance.
Entrada Oxpechen Two Maya, English ...second, three well entrance.
Cenote Pepem Actun Maya ...butterfly cave cenote.
Cenote Por One Spanish (English) ...a cenote named after the present landowner.
Cueva Quebrada Spanish ...broken, or convoluted cave.
Sistema Ramon Spanish ...breadfruit (Ramon) tree system
Sistema Sac Actun Maya ...white cave system.
Sistema Sac Be Ha Maya ...white road (of the) water system
Sistema Sapo Spanish ...toad system.
Cenote Shagadelic English (slang) ...need I say more? cenote
Cenote Sinaan Maya ...scorpion cenote.
Cenote So'sook Maya ...tangled cenote.
Tatich Maya ...headman, chief.
Sistema Tak Be Luum Maya ...about (to enter) the way of mud system.
Cenote Tam Chac Ha Maya ...deep red water cenote.
Sistema Toh Ha Maya ...Motmot (Eumomota sp.) water system.
Dzonot Took Maya ...burn(ed) jungle cenote.
Dzonot Tu Ha Maya ...smelly water cenote.
Cenote Vaca-Ha Spanish (Maya) ...cow water cenote.
Sistema Veladora Spanish ...candle system
Sistema Venado Spanish ...deer system.
Sistema Xibalba Maya ...Maya underworld system.
Sistema X'tabay Maya ...evil forest spirit system.
Cenote Xuux Kanan Maya ...wasp (protected from, or protector) cenote.
Sistema Yax Muul Maya ...blue (or green) hills system.
Sistema Yaxchen Maya ...blue (or green) well system.
Sistema Muul Ha Maya ...hill(y) water system.
Cenote Zapote Maya ...chicle tree cenote.
     

Updates and corrections are welcome at: chac<at>consolidated.net

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