What is a Cenote?

If you travel to the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico you will see a lot of signs for cenotes, but what are they and why are they so interesting?

The word cenote comes from a Yucatec Maya word — ts’onot — which denotes a place where groundwater is accessible. Cenote is now used to describe a sinkhole that results when limestone bedrock collapses to reveal groundwater.

These water-filled sinkholes are great places to cool off in the heat, and some are part of huge underwater cave systems that make for amazing diving. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of cenotes dotted all over the Yucatan peninsula, and legend has it you can navigate underground rivers for hundreds of kilometers.

For most people, cenotes are good swimming holes, but keen divers can get under the water and explore the underwater caves and caverns. Prices vary depending on the location, but famous cenotes, such as Dos Ojos, are known for diving.

If you are in the area, you cannot miss the signs for cenotes. They are one of the dominant features of the Yucatan, and you should make sure to visit at least one. If you don’t want to make a special trip, you can even see a cenote in the middle of the small town of Valladolid, on the road to the Mayan ruins at Chechen Itza.