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Cenotes |
| Home >> Mexico Destinations >> Cancun >> Cancun Attractions >> Cenotes |
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| Cenote (pronounced in Spanish seh-no-teh and in English say-no-tay, plural: cenotes) is the name given in Central America and southern Mexico to a type of freshwater-filled limestone sinkhole. The name derives from a Mayan word, dz'onot. Cenotes were formed at low sea-level stages during the Pleistocene Epoch. They are fully or partially collapsed karst caves. Mature cenotes often resemble small, circular lakes or lagoons with sheer drops at the edges. Some cenotes flow out to the ocean. Where the fresh and saltwater meet, a blurry halocline layer can be found. This phenomenon can occur many kilometres inland, and is usually found at depths between 10-20 meters. The Yucatán has no above-ground rivers, so the fact that there were three natural sink holes (cenotes) providing plentiful water year round at Chichen made it a natural spot for a center of population. Two of these cenotes are still in existence, the most famous being the legendary "Cenote of Sacrifice", which was sacred to worshipers of the Maya rain god Chaac. Offerings of jade, pottery, and incense were thrown into the great well as offerings to Chaac, and occasionally during times of desperate drought a human sacrifice (however there is no confirmation in either ancient chronicles nor the archeological dredging of the cenote to confirm the lurid tales of some tour guides claiming that great numbers of beautiful, young, virgin women were regularly cast into the well.
Other stories claim young boys, not young women, were sacrficed into the well). The Sacred Cenote was long a place of pilgrimage Yucatán. Cenote Park, located at Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico, contains many cenotes. These cenotes provide access to extensive underwater cave systems such as the Nohoch Nah Chich cave. Caves such as Dos Ojos Cavern have attracted cave divers and there are organised efforts to explore and map the underwater systems. |
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