A Cenote is a type of Grotto.
Overview[]
The Maya peoples believed that cenotes, circular pits of crystalline water peppered across the Yucatan Peninsula, were gateways into the afterlife. Through them, it was believed that sacrificial offerings might reach the gods, and many pits are littered with personal items and ancient bones. Some larger cenotes, such as the Sacred Cenote near Chichen Itza, are famous, but most hold only a trickle of power and are hidden in cliffs and forest. The cenote’s sacred stone normally lies at the bottom of the pit.
In Maya languages, the word for a cenote is dzonot.