Answer:
A cenote is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater. The regional term is specifically associated with the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, where cenotes were commonly used for water supplies by the ancient Maya, and occasionally for sacrificial offerings.
Many cenotes, including the Sacred Cenote at Chichen Itza and the cenote at Dzibilchaltún, were used for sacrificial purposes: human and animal skeletons, as well as sacrificial objects of gold, jade, pottery, and incense, have been dredged from them.
The vast majority of cenotes are located along the Yucatan Peninsula and extend to Belize and Guatemala. These areas have a very porous and soft limestone soil, which when collapsed by the action of rain and the current of the underground rivers, gives rise to the formation of the cenotes.
