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{{short description|Natural pit or sinkhole that exposes groundwater underneath}}{{for|the EP by Giant Squid|Cenotes (EP)}}(File:Cenote 2.jpg|thumb|Cenote at Hubiku, YucatanCenote Hubiku – Temozón, Mexico | Atlas Obscura){{wikt | cenote}}A cenote ({{IPAc-en|lang|pron|s|ᵻ|ˈ|n|oʊ|t|i}} or {{IPAc-en|s|ɛ|ˈ|n|oʊ|t|eɪ}}; {{IPA|es-419|seˈnote|lang}}) is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting when a collapse of limestone bedrock exposes groundwater. The term originated on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, where the ancient Maya commonly used cenotes for water supplies, and occasionally for sacrificial offerings. The name derives from a word used by the lowland Yucatec Maya—{{wikt-lang|yua|tsʼonoʼot}}—to refer to any location with accessible groundwater.In Mexico the Yucatán Peninsula alone has an estimated 10,000 cenotes, water-filled sinkholes naturally formed by the collapse of limestone, and located across the peninsula. Some of these cenotes are at risk from the construction of the new tourist Maya Train.MAGAZINE,weblink A New Tourist Train in Mexico Will Destroy Indigenous Land and Livelihoods, 12 January 2023, Soraya Kishwari, Time (magazine), Time, Cenotes are common geological forms in low-altitude regions, particularly on islands, coastlines, and platforms with young post-Paleozoic limestone with little soil development. The term cenote, originally applying only to the features in Yucatán, has since been applied by researchers to similar karst features in other places such as in Cuba, Australia, and the United States.

Definition and description

File:Mexico Cenotes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.45|The Sacred Cenote at Chichen Itza, MexicoMexicoCenotes are surface connections to subterranean water bodies. While the best-known cenotes are large open-water pools measuring tens of meters in diameter, such as those at Chichen Itza in Mexico, the greatest number of cenotes are smaller sheltered sites and do not necessarily have any surface exposed water. Some cenotes are only found through small