The legend of Nicté-Ha is a romantic and tragic Mayan tale rooted in the lush jungles and sacred cenotes of the Yucatán Peninsula. Her name, Nicté-Ha, means “Water Flower” in the Mayan language—nicté (flower) and ha (water)

According to legend, in the land of the Mayab, there was once a king who had a handsome son, Prince Chac Dzib Dzib, whose destiny was to marry a girl of the same rank, because one day, he would be a king. However, the prince was deeply in love with a beautiful young commoner girl by the name of Nicté-Ha, the daughter of the guardian of cenote Sagrado. Despite their true love, the great king would never approve as Nicté Ha was not a princess.

The Prince Chac Dzib Dzib and his love, Nicté-Ha met in secret every night by the cenote, being careful that no one saw them. Chac Dzib Dzib always visited her dressed in a red robe and Nicté-Ha waited for him dressed in her white huipil (the most common traditional garment worn by indigenous women). Every day, the prince wrote beautiful poems and songs for his beloved Nicté -Ha. One day, the Great Priest of the tribe discovered them, and his eyes looked with envy and concern as that love flourished. "Never will a commoner become queen of Nan Chan (in Mayab)”, he murmured. “Nicté-Ha must disappear forever!”, and that is when the priest started planning a tragic end to the love story. Meanwhile, the prince had decided to marry Nicté-Ha in secret.

One night prior to the ceremony, the prince had a bad feeling that his beloved was in danger. He grabbed his red coat and went out to look for Nicté-Ha. Unfortunately, the evil priest was already waiting in the dark. When the prince arrived at the Cenote, he saw her sitting as she did every night, and ran to hug her. But out of the shadows, an arrow struck his beloved, Nicté-Ha, in the heart and she fell into the cenote, disappearing from the sight of her beloved. Horrified, the prince searched unsuccessfully in the dark waters of the cenote to find his beautiful Nicté-Ha. After a while, only her white huipil floated in the water. The prince begged the gods to allow her to be with him forever. Showing their compassion, the gods transformed Nicté-Ha into a beautiful white flower, and the prince’s heart into a red bird with a beautiful song: the cardinal. Since then every morning you can see the cardinal bird go down to the cenote and perch near the lilies. It is said that he continues to sing and recite poems of love to the beautiful flower that floats in the water, the beautiful Nicté-Ha, a water-lily flower, his eternal love.

They say to this day, when the moonlight dances on the water and lilies bloom without roots, Nicté-Ha’s spirit rises from the cenote—forever a water flower, watching and waiting for her beloved.