Although there is little surface water in Yucatán, almost all the settlements since early Maya times are situated close to cenotes or underground sinkholes, many of which give access to flowing fresh water streams.
Several early missions made use of hydraulic devices to extract this vital resource, some of them incorporating mule powered water wheels, or “norias” housed in domed or thatched well houses .
Some of these have survived and indeed still function to this day, now with electric pumps. Here we illustrate the most notable examples:
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| the thatched village noria at Yaxcabá |
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| the restored domed noria at Conkal |
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| the noria at Mamá |
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| the noria at Mani text and images © 2018 Richard D. Perry |
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