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Riviera Maya, Mexico
"Portal to Xibalba" — The sacred underworld illuminated
While St. Regis looked skyward, EDITION descends into the mystical—channeling Xibalba, the sacred Mayan underworld reached through cenotes. Yet this is no dark journey: the design brings subterranean spirituality into light, featuring North America's largest rooftop penthouse as a contemporary sky-temple above ancient earth.
Cenotes—natural sinkholes revealing underground rivers—were portals where fresh water meets salt, sky meets earth, light penetrates darkness. The resort's water features echo this sacred geometry: reflecting pools that mirror the heavens, infinity edges that blur boundaries, cascading water that recalls underground rivers.
Bamboo screens filter Caribbean light into dappled patterns reminiscent of sunlight penetrating jungle canopy and reaching into cenote depths—a natural phenomenon transformed into architectural language.
Xibalba—"place of fear"—was where Mayan lords of the underworld ruled. Yet it wasn't evil; it was transformative, where souls journeyed to rebirth. The contemporary lifestyle brand EDITION brings this ancient concept forward: a place of transformation where luxury meets spirituality.
The massive rooftop penthouse inverts the underworld concept—taking sacred underground space and elevating it skyward, creating what could only exist in modern times: a celestial sanctum with cenote soul.
For millennia, the Maya performed sacred ceremonies in cenotes, offering precious objects to the underworld. These natural temples connected three realms: surface world, subterranean rivers, and the cosmic beyond. Cenotes weren't just geological features—they were architectural spaces where water, stone, and light created transcendent experience.
EDITION honors this by creating modern "cenotes"—spaces where water, light, and form converge to trigger that same sense of crossing thresholds between worlds.
EDITION Kanai pays homage to the sacred Mayan underworld, Xibalba, reimagining cenote geometry and mystical ritual spaces through contemporary luxury design. The resort captures the transformative power of these natural underground temples while creating an ultra-modern lifestyle destination.
North America's Largest Rooftop Penthouse: An unprecedented feat of contemporary design—a massive sky sanctuary that inverts the cenote concept, bringing underground mysticism to the heavens with panoramic views of both Caribbean and jungle.
Cenote-Inspired Water Temples: Multiple pools and water features that echo the sacred geometry of natural sinkholes, with infinity edges creating the illusion of water meeting sky just as cenotes reveal water meeting earth.
Bamboo Light Screens: Sustainable bamboo facades that filter light in patterns reminiscent of jungle canopy—bringing the cenote's characteristic dappled illumination to every corridor and space.
The resort creates a journey from underground mysticism to celestial openness. Ground-level spaces feel intimate and earth-connected, with bamboo screens creating filtered light reminiscent of cenote caves. As guests ascend through the resort, spaces open progressively toward the sky, culminating in the massive rooftop sanctuary—a physical manifestation of spiritual ascension from Xibalba to the heavens.
"Where the ancient underworld rises to meet contemporary sky—Xibalba transformed into a sanctuary of light, water, and transcendent luxury."
— EDMONDS INTERNATIONAL
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