A cenote is a natural sinkhole or well formed when limestone bedrock collapses and exposes groundwater. They are especially significant in Mesoamerican archaeology and anthropology, where they hold both ecological and cultural importance.

🌍 Definition

• Cenote: From the Yucatec Maya word ts’onot, meaning “well.”
• Formation: Created by the dissolution of limestone, revealing underground rivers and aquifers.
• Appearance: Often circular, filled with clear water, sometimes connected to vast cave systems.

🔑 Anthropological & Archaeological Contexts

• Maya Civilization:
  • Cenotes were vital water sources in the Yucatán, where surface rivers are scarce.
  • They were sacred spaces, believed to be portals to the underworld (Xibalba).
  • Ritual offerings—including pottery, jade, gold, and human sacrifices—have been found in cenotes like Chichén Itzá’s Sacred Cenote.
• Colonial Accounts:
  • Spanish chroniclers described cenotes as sites of ritual sacrifice and offerings.
• Modern Use:
  • Cenotes remain important for local communities as water sources and are now popular for tourism and diving.

📚 Importance in Anthropology

• Subsistence: Provided essential water in karst landscapes.
• Religion & Cosmology: Cenotes symbolized fertility, death, and rebirth.
• Archaeological Evidence: Offerings and human remains provide insight into Maya ritual life.
• Comparative Value: Similar to sacred springs and wells in other cultures, cenotes highlight the intersection of ecology and spirituality.

In short: A cenote is a limestone sinkhole filled with water, central to Maya subsistence and ritual, symbolizing both life and the underworld.