The word cenote is derived from the Yucatec Mayan word dzonot, meaning well. Long before the advent of modern technology, the inhabitants of the Yucatan understood the critical importance of the local freshwater sinkholes. The ancient Maya, one of the most advanced indigenous civilizations of the Mesoamerican continent, migrated to the Yucatan Peninsula between 500BCE and 250CE.
In a region devoid of rivers or lakes, such as the Yucatan, cenotes provided year-round access to fresh water. Their sheer number and ability to sustain large human settlements formed the foundation on which a sophisticated society could be built. All of the biggest cities that the Maya built between 300CE and 900CE, such as Chichen Itza and Uxmal, were erected in the vicinity of several cenotes. The city of Mayapan, situated 100 kilometers west of Chichen Itza, had some 40 cenotes within its city walls to supply up to 17,000 inhabitants.
Cenotes were so vitally important for the survival of the local population that they were deeply embedded into the religious belief system. The Maya believed cenotes to be a gateway to Xibalba, the underworld, and the god of rain, Chaac, was believed to live at the bottom of these sacred wells. The Maya performed rituals and ceremonies at sacred cenotes to ask for rain and good crops.
The most famous of these is the Sacred Cenote near the ancient Maya city of Chichen Itza, located in the northwest of the Yucatan Peninsula. From its depths, archaeologists have recovered artifacts of gold, jade, and pottery as well as human remains whose injuries are consistent with human sacrifice.
While human sacrifices no longer play a role in present-day Maya culture, some descendants of the ancient Maya still pay their respects to the mythical inhabitants of cenotes.

Mexico's Cenotes, the Hidden Gems of the Yucatan

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