A cenote is a deep natural pit or sinkhole, created as result from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath, these natural formations are associated with the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and some nearby Caribbean islands.
Cenotes were sometimes used by the ancient Maya for sacrificial offerings, the term derives from a word used by the low-land Yucatec Maya, "Ts'onot" to refer to any location with accessible groundwater. Major Maya settlements required access to adequate water supplies and therefore cities, including the famous Chichén Itzá, were built around these natural wells.
Cenotes were sometimes used by the ancient Maya for sacrificial offerings, the term derives from a word used by the low-land Yucatec Maya, "Ts'onot" to refer to any location with accessible groundwater. Major Maya settlements required access to adequate water supplies and therefore cities, including the famous Chichén Itzá, were built around these natural wells.
Some cenotes, like the Sacred Cenote in Chichén Itzá, played an important role in Mayan rites, it was believed that these pools were gateways to the afterlife, so no surprise why mayans sometimes used to threw valuable items into them.
The discovery of golden sacrificial artefacts and skeletons in some cenotes led to the archaeological exploration in the first part of the 20th century.
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