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Cenote

February 12, 2023

For the EP by Giant Squid, see Cenotes (EP).

A cenote (English: /sɪˈnoʊti/ or /sɛˈnoʊteɪ/; American Spanish: [seˈnote]) 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. The term derives from a word used by the lowland Yucatec Maya—tsʼonot—to refer to any location with accessible groundwater.[2][3]

The cenote at Hubiku, Yucatan[1]

It is one of an estimated 10,000 cenotes,[4] water-filled sinkholes naturally formed by the collapse of limestone, located across the Yucatán Peninsula, in Mexico, some of them are at risk from the construction of the new tourist Maya Train.[4]

Similar rock-sided sinkholes like 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 has also been used to describe similar karst features in other countries such as Cuba and Australia.

Definition and description

Cenotes are surface connections to subterranean water bodies.[5] 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 <1 m (3 ft.) diameter holes created by tree roots, with human access through enlarged holes, such as the cenotes Cenote Choo-Ha, Tamcach-Ha, and Multum-Ha near Tulum. There are at least 6,000 cenotes in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico.[6][better source needed] Cenote water is often very clear, as the water comes from rain water filtering slowly through the ground, and therefore contains very little suspended particulate matter. The groundwater flow rate within a cenote may be very slow. In many cases, cenotes are areas where sections of the cave roof have collapsed revealing an underlying cave system, and the water flow rates may be much faster: up to 10 kilometers (6 mi) per day.[7]

The Yucatan cenotes attract cavern and cave divers who have documented extensive flooded cave systems, some of which have been explored for lengths of 376 km (234 mi) or more.[8]

Geology and hydrology

 
The Samulá Cenote in Valladolid, Yucatán, Mexico

Cenotes are formed by the dissolution of rock and the resulting subsurface void, which may or may not be linked to an active cave system,[clarification needed] and the subsequent structural collapse. Rock that falls into the water below is slowly removed by further dissolution, creating space for more collapse blocks. Likely, the rate of collapse increases during periods when the water table is below the ceiling of the void since the rock ceiling is no longer buoyantly supported by the water in the void.

Cenotes may be fully collapsed, creating an open water pool, or partially collapsed with some portion of a rock overhanging above the water. The stereotypical cenotes often resemble small circular ponds, measuring some tens of meters in diameter with sheer rock walls. Most cenotes, however, require some degree of stooping or crawling to access the water.

Penetration and extent

 
Cenote at Bolonchén, Mexico, used as a source of water, painting of 1842 by Frederick Catherwood

In the north and northwest of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, the cenotes generally overlie vertical voids penetrating 50 to 100 m (160 to 330 ft) below the modern water table. However, very few of these cenotes appear to be connected with horizontally extensive underground river systems, with water flow through them being more likely dominated by aquifer matrix and fracture flows.[7]

In contrast, the cenotes along the Caribbean coast of the Yucatán Peninsula (within the state of Quintana Roo) often provide access to extensive underwater cave systems, such as Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Sac Actun/Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich and Sistema Dos Ojos.

Freshwater/seawater interface

The Yucatán Peninsula contains a vast coastal aquifer system, which is typically density-stratified.[7] The infiltrating meteoric water (i.e., rainwater) floats on top of higher-density saline water intruding from the coastal margins. The whole aquifer is therefore an anchialine system (one that is land-locked but connected to an ocean). Where a cenote, or the flooded cave to which it is an opening, provides deep enough access into the aquifer, the interface between the fresh and saline water may be reached. The density interface between the fresh and saline waters is a halocline, which means a sharp change in salt concentration over a small change in depth. Mixing of the fresh and saline water results in a blurry swirling effect caused by refraction between the different densities of fresh and saline waters.

The depth of the halocline is a function of several factors: climate and specifically how much meteoric water recharges the aquifer, hydraulic conductivity of the host rock, distribution and connectivity of existing cave systems, and how effective these are at draining water to the coast, and the distance from the coast. In general, the halocline is deeper further from the coast, and in the Yucatán Peninsula this depth is 10 to 20 m (33 to 66 ft) below the water table at the coast, and 50 to 100 m (160 to 330 ft) below the water table in the middle of the peninsula, with saline water underlying the whole of the peninsula.[7]

 
Geological cutaway of Cenote Ik Kil

Types

In 1936, a simple morphometry-based classification system for cenotes was presented.[9]

  • Cenotes-cántaro (Jug or pit cenotes) are those with a surface connection narrower than the diameter of the water body;
  • Cenotes-cilíndricos (Cylinder cenotes) are those with strictly vertical walls;
  • Cenotes-aguadas (Basin cenotes) are those with shallow water basins; and
  • Grutas (Cave cenotes) are those having a horizontal entrance with dry sections.

The classification scheme was based on morphometric observations above the water table, and therefore incompletely reflects the processes by which the cenotes formed and the inherent hydrogeochemical relationship with the underlying flooded cave networks, which were only discovered in the 1980s and later with the initiation of cave diving exploration.[citation needed]

Flora and fauna

Flora and fauna are generally scarcer than in the open ocean; however, marine animals do thrive in caves. In caverns, one can spot mojarras, mollies, guppies, catfish, small eels and frogs. In the most secluded and darker cenotes, the fauna has evolved to resemble those of many cave-dwelling species. For example, many animals don't have pigmentation and are often blind, so they are equipped with long feelers to find food and make their way around in the dark.[10]

Chicxulub crater

 
Radar topography reveals the 180 km (110 mi) ring of the crater; clustered around the crater's trough are numerous sinkholes, suggesting a prehistoric oceanic basin in the depression left by the impact (Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech).

Although cenotes are found widely throughout much of the Yucatán Peninsula, a higher-density circular alignment of cenotes overlies the measured rim of the Chicxulub crater. This crater structure, identified from the alignment of cenotes,[11] but also subsequently mapped using geophysical methods (including gravity mapping) and also drilled into with core recovery, has been dated to the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene geologic periods, 66 million years ago. This meteorite impact at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary is therefore associated with the mass extinction of the dinosaurs and is also known as the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.[12]

Archaeology and anthropology

In 2001–2002 expeditions led by Arturo H. González and Carmen Rojas Sandoval in the Yucatán discovered three human skeletons; one of them, Eve of Naharon, was carbon-dated to be 13,600 years old.[13][14][15] In March 2008, three members of the Proyecto Espeleológico de Tulum and Global Underwater Explorers dive team, Alex Alvarez, Franco Attolini, and Alberto Nava, explored a section of Sistema Aktun Hu (part of Sistema Sac Actun) known as the pit Hoyo Negro.[14][16] At a depth of 57 m (187 ft) the divers located the remains of a mastodon and a human skull (at 43 m [141 ft]) that might be the oldest evidence of human habitation in the region.[14]

The Yucatán Peninsula has almost no rivers and only a few lakes, and those are often marshy.[17] The widely distributed cenotes are the only perennial source of potable water and have long been the principal source of water in much of the region. Major Maya settlements required access to adequate water supplies, and therefore cities, including the famous Chichen Itza, were built around these natural wells. Many cenotes like the Sacred Cenote in Chichen Itza played an important role in Maya rites.[18] The Maya believed that cenotes were portals to Xibalba or the afterlife, and home to the rain god, Chac.[19] The Maya often deposited human remains as well as ceremonial artifacts in these cenotes.

The discovery of golden sacrificial artifacts in some cenotes led to the archaeological exploration of most cenotes in the first part of the 20th century. Edward Herbert Thompson (1857–1935), an American diplomat who had bought the Chichen Itza site, began dredging the Sacred Cenote there in 1904. He discovered human skeletons and sacrificial objects confirming a local legend, the Cult of the Cenote, involving human sacrifice to the rain god Chaac by the ritual casting of victims and objects into the cenote.[20] However, not all cenotes were sites of human sacrifice. The cenote at Punta Laguna has been extensively studied and none of the approximately 120 individuals show signs of sacrifice[21]. The remains of this cultural heritage are protected by the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.[22]

Scuba diving

Main article: Cave diving, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
 
Scuba diving in a cenote

Cenotes have attracted cavern and cave divers, and there are organized efforts to explore and map these underwater systems. They are public or private and sometimes considered "National Natural Parks". Great care should be taken to avoid spoiling this fragile ecosystem when diving. In Mexico, the Quintana Roo Speleological Survey maintains a list of the longest and deepest water-filled and dry caves within the state boundaries. When cavern diving, one must be able to see natural light the entire time that one is exploring the cavern (e.g., Kukulkan cenote near Tulum, Mexico). During a cave dive, one passes the point where daylight can penetrate, and one follows a safety guideline to exit the cave. Things change quite dramatically once moving from a cavern dive into a cave dive. Too many divers, even experienced ones, have died for ignoring safety recommendations.[23]

Contrary to cenote cavern diving, cenote cave diving requires special equipment and training (certification for cave diving). However, both cavern and cave diving require detailed briefings, diving experience, and weight adjustment to freshwater buoyancy. The cenotes are usually filled with rather cool fresh water. Cenote divers must be wary of possible halocline; this produces blurred vision until they reach a more homogeneous area.

Notable cenotes

Australia

Bahamas

Belize

Canada

  • Devil's Bath[24] is the largest cenote in Canada at a size of 1178 ft. (359m) in diameter and 144 ft. (44m) in depth.[25] It is located near the village of Port Alice, British Columbia on the northwest coastline of Vancouver Island. Devil's Bath is continuously fed by an underground spring and is connected by underwater tunnel to the Benson River Cave.[26]

Dominican Republic

Jamaica

  • Blue Hole (Ocho Rios)

Mexico

Central and northern regions

Yucatán Peninsula

United States

Zimbabwe

See also

  • Aquifer – Underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock
  • Blue hole – Marine cavern or sinkhole, open to the surface, in carbonate bedrock
  • Karst – Topography from dissolved soluble rocks
  • Quintana Roo Speleological Survey – Data repository for explored sites within the state of Quintana Roo
  • Saltwater intrusion – Movement of saline water into freshwater aquifers
  • Sinkhole – Geologically-formed topological depression
    • List of sinkholes – Links to Wikipedia articles on sinkholes, blue holes, dolines, cenotes, and pit caves

References

Citations

  1. ^ Cenote Hubiku - Temozón, Mexico | Atlas Obscura
  2. ^ or tz'onot in some secondary sources, such as Sharer & Traxler 2006 p 52.
  3. ^ Tim Scoones (producer), Jeff Goodman (photography), Dominique Rissolo (scientific adviser), Tom Iliffe (sci adv), Patricia Beddows (sci adv), Jill Yager (sci adv) (2005). Secrets of the Maya Underworld (Television production). BBC/Discovery Channel. Event occurs at 3:07. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Soraya Kishwari (12 January 2023). "A New Tourist Train in Mexico Will Destroy Indigenous Land and Livelihoods". Time.
  5. ^ Gaona-Vizcayno, S; Gordillo de Anda, T; M. Villasuso-Pino, M (1980). Cenotes, karst característico: Mecanismo de formacíon, Instituto de Geología, v. 4; pp 32-36.
  6. ^ Lysakowska, Anna (2016-05-30). "The Best Cenotes in Mexico: Ultimate Guide | Anna Everywhere". Anna Everywhere. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  7. ^ a b c d Beddows, PA (2003). "Yucatan Phreas, Mexico". In Gunn, John (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Cave and Karst Science. New York, USA: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. pp. 794–796. ISBN 978-1-57958-399-6.
  8. ^ "Long Underwater Caves".
  9. ^ Hall, F.G. (1936), Physical and chemical survey of cenotes of Yucatán, Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication 457, pp 5–16.
  10. ^ Medina-González, Roger M. (1995). (PDF). www.seduma.yucatan.gob.mx. UADY-FMVZ-Biología, Departamento de Ecología. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-01. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  11. ^ Pope, KO; Ocampo, AC; Kinsland, GL; Smith, R (1996). "Surface expression of the Chicxulub crater". Geology. 24 (6): 527–30. Bibcode:1996Geo....24..527P. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1996)024<0527:SEOTCC>2.3.CO;2. PMID 11539331.
  12. ^ Bottke, William F; Vokrouhlicky, David; Nesvorny, David (September 2007). "An asteroid breakup 160 Myr ago as the probable source of the K/T impactor" (PDF). Nature. 449 (7158): 48–53. Bibcode:2007Natur.449...48B. doi:10.1038/nature06070. PMID 17805288. S2CID 4322622.
  13. ^ Floyd B. Largent Jr. (June 2005). "Early Humans South of the Border. New finds from the Yucatán Peninsula" (PDF). Mammoth Trumpet. 20 (3): 8–11. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  14. ^ a b c Fabio Esteban Amador (February 18, 2011). . NatGeo News Watch. National Geographic. Archived from the original on 2011-02-26. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
  15. ^ Eliza Barclay (September 3, 2008). "Oldest Skeleton in Americas Found in Underwater Cave?". National Geographic News. National Geographic. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  16. ^ (PDF). News from the Field. El Centro Investigador del Sistema Aquífero de Quintana Roo: 6. Winter 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-06. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
  17. ^ Fedick, Scott L (1998). Kathryn Bernick (ed.). Ancient Maya Use of Wetlands in Northern Quintanaa Roo, Mexico. Hidden Dimensions. The Cultural Significance of Wetland Archaeology. Toronto: UBC Press. ISBN 0-7748-0633-8. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  18. ^ "What is a Cenote? - How are Cenotes formed? - SmartXpat". smartxpat.com. 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  19. ^ Romey, Kristin (2005). "Watery Tombs". Archaeology. 58 (4): 42–49.
  20. ^ Munro, Paul; Maria de Lourdes Melo Zurita (2011). "The Role of Cenotes in the Social History of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula". Environment and History. 17 (4): 583–612. doi:10.3197/096734011X13150366551616.
  21. ^ "Tratamientos mortuorios en los cenotes". Arqueología Mexicana (in Spanish). 2016-11-01. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  22. ^ "Underwater Cultural Heritage". UNESCO. 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  23. ^ "Association for Mexican Cave Studies, Activities, Newsletter, Number 33" (PDF). June 2010.
  24. ^ "Devils Bath - Largest Sinkhole on Vancouver Island". Pinterest.com. 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  25. ^ "Alice Lake Loop Tour". Tourism Vancouver Island North. 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  26. ^ . Village of Port Alice. 2016. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.

Other sources

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cenote.
 
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Cenotes of the Yucatán.
  • Cenotes of Chichén Itzá
  • Doline, Sinkhole, Cenote
  • Sistema Zacatón
  • Stages in the Formation of a Cenote
  • Year 1999 Cenotes Conference in Perugia, Italy

February 12, 2023
cenote, giant, squid, cenote, english, american, spanish, seˈnote, natural, sinkhole, resulting, from, collapse, limestone, bedrock, that, exposes, groundwater, regional, term, specifically, associated, with, yucatán, peninsula, mexico, where, cenotes, were, c. For the EP by Giant Squid see Cenotes EP A cenote English s ɪ ˈ n oʊ t i or s ɛ ˈ n oʊ t eɪ American Spanish seˈnote is a natural pit or sinkhole resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater The regional term is specifically associated with the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico where cenotes were commonly used for water supplies by the ancient Maya and occasionally for sacrificial offerings The term derives from a word used by the lowland Yucatec Maya tsʼonot to refer to any location with accessible groundwater 2 3 The cenote at Hubiku Yucatan 1 It is one of an estimated 10 000 cenotes 4 water filled sinkholes naturally formed by the collapse of limestone located across the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico some of them are at risk from the construction of the new tourist Maya Train 4 Similar rock sided sinkholes like 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 has also been used to describe similar karst features in other countries such as Cuba and Australia Contents 1 Definition and description 2 Geology and hydrology 2 1 Penetration and extent 2 2 Freshwater seawater interface 2 3 Types 3 Flora and fauna 4 Chicxulub crater 5 Archaeology and anthropology 6 Scuba diving 7 Notable cenotes 7 1 Australia 7 2 Bahamas 7 3 Belize 7 4 Canada 7 5 Dominican Republic 7 6 Jamaica 7 7 Mexico 7 7 1 Central and northern regions 7 7 2 Yucatan Peninsula 7 8 United States 7 9 Zimbabwe 8 See also 9 References 9 1 Citations 9 2 Other sources 10 External linksDefinition and description Edit The Sacred Cenote at Chichen Itza Mexico Cenotes are surface connections to subterranean water bodies 5 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 lt 1 m 3 ft diameter holes created by tree roots with human access through enlarged holes such as the cenotes Cenote Choo Ha Tamcach Ha and Multum Ha near Tulum There are at least 6 000 cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico 6 better source needed Cenote water is often very clear as the water comes from rain water filtering slowly through the ground and therefore contains very little suspended particulate matter The groundwater flow rate within a cenote may be very slow In many cases cenotes are areas where sections of the cave roof have collapsed revealing an underlying cave system and the water flow rates may be much faster up to 10 kilometers 6 mi per day 7 The Yucatan cenotes attract cavern and cave divers who have documented extensive flooded cave systems some of which have been explored for lengths of 376 km 234 mi or more 8 Geology and hydrology Edit The Samula Cenote in Valladolid Yucatan Mexico Cenotes are formed by the dissolution of rock and the resulting subsurface void which may or may not be linked to an active cave system clarification needed and the subsequent structural collapse Rock that falls into the water below is slowly removed by further dissolution creating space for more collapse blocks Likely the rate of collapse increases during periods when the water table is below the ceiling of the void since the rock ceiling is no longer buoyantly supported by the water in the void Cenotes may be fully collapsed creating an open water pool or partially collapsed with some portion of a rock overhanging above the water The stereotypical cenotes often resemble small circular ponds measuring some tens of meters in diameter with sheer rock walls Most cenotes however require some degree of stooping or crawling to access the water Penetration and extent Edit Cenote at Bolonchen Mexico used as a source of water painting of 1842 by Frederick Catherwood In the north and northwest of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico the cenotes generally overlie vertical voids penetrating 50 to 100 m 160 to 330 ft below the modern water table However very few of these cenotes appear to be connected with horizontally extensive underground river systems with water flow through them being more likely dominated by aquifer matrix and fracture flows 7 In contrast the cenotes along the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula within the state of Quintana Roo often provide access to extensive underwater cave systems such as Sistema Ox Bel Ha Sistema Sac Actun Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich and Sistema Dos Ojos Freshwater seawater interface Edit The Yucatan Peninsula contains a vast coastal aquifer system which is typically density stratified 7 The infiltrating meteoric water i e rainwater floats on top of higher density saline water intruding from the coastal margins The whole aquifer is therefore an anchialine system one that is land locked but connected to an ocean Where a cenote or the flooded cave to which it is an opening provides deep enough access into the aquifer the interface between the fresh and saline water may be reached The density interface between the fresh and saline waters is a halocline which means a sharp change in salt concentration over a small change in depth Mixing of the fresh and saline water results in a blurry swirling effect caused by refraction between the different densities of fresh and saline waters The depth of the halocline is a function of several factors climate and specifically how much meteoric water recharges the aquifer hydraulic conductivity of the host rock distribution and connectivity of existing cave systems and how effective these are at draining water to the coast and the distance from the coast In general the halocline is deeper further from the coast and in the Yucatan Peninsula this depth is 10 to 20 m 33 to 66 ft below the water table at the coast and 50 to 100 m 160 to 330 ft below the water table in the middle of the peninsula with saline water underlying the whole of the peninsula 7 Geological cutaway of Cenote Ik Kil Types Edit In 1936 a simple morphometry based classification system for cenotes was presented 9 Cenotes cantaro Jug or pit cenotes are those with a surface connection narrower than the diameter of the water body Cenotes cilindricos Cylinder cenotes are those with strictly vertical walls Cenotes aguadas Basin cenotes are those with shallow water basins and Grutas Cave cenotes are those having a horizontal entrance with dry sections The classification scheme was based on morphometric observations above the water table and therefore incompletely reflects the processes by which the cenotes formed and the inherent hydrogeochemical relationship with the underlying flooded cave networks which were only discovered in the 1980s and later with the initiation of cave diving exploration citation needed Flora and fauna EditFlora and fauna are generally scarcer than in the open ocean however marine animals do thrive in caves In caverns one can spot mojarras mollies guppies catfish small eels and frogs In the most secluded and darker cenotes the fauna has evolved to resemble those of many cave dwelling species For example many animals don t have pigmentation and are often blind so they are equipped with long feelers to find food and make their way around in the dark 10 Chicxulub crater Edit Radar topography reveals the 180 km 110 mi ring of the crater clustered around the crater s trough are numerous sinkholes suggesting a prehistoric oceanic basin in the depression left by the impact Image courtesy NASA JPL Caltech Although cenotes are found widely throughout much of the Yucatan Peninsula a higher density circular alignment of cenotes overlies the measured rim of the Chicxulub crater This crater structure identified from the alignment of cenotes 11 but also subsequently mapped using geophysical methods including gravity mapping and also drilled into with core recovery has been dated to the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene geologic periods 66 million years ago This meteorite impact at the Cretaceous Paleogene boundary is therefore associated with the mass extinction of the dinosaurs and is also known as the Cretaceous Paleogene extinction event 12 Archaeology and anthropology EditIn 2001 2002 expeditions led by Arturo H Gonzalez and Carmen Rojas Sandoval in the Yucatan discovered three human skeletons one of them Eve of Naharon was carbon dated to be 13 600 years old 13 14 15 In March 2008 three members of the Proyecto Espeleologico de Tulum and Global Underwater Explorers dive team Alex Alvarez Franco Attolini and Alberto Nava explored a section of Sistema Aktun Hu part of Sistema Sac Actun known as the pit Hoyo Negro 14 16 At a depth of 57 m 187 ft the divers located the remains of a mastodon and a human skull at 43 m 141 ft that might be the oldest evidence of human habitation in the region 14 The Yucatan Peninsula has almost no rivers and only a few lakes and those are often marshy 17 The widely distributed cenotes are the only perennial source of potable water and have long been the principal source of water in much of the region Major Maya settlements required access to adequate water supplies and therefore cities including the famous Chichen Itza were built around these natural wells Many cenotes like the Sacred Cenote in Chichen Itza played an important role in Maya rites 18 The Maya believed that cenotes were portals to Xibalba or the afterlife and home to the rain god Chac 19 The Maya often deposited human remains as well as ceremonial artifacts in these cenotes The discovery of golden sacrificial artifacts in some cenotes led to the archaeological exploration of most cenotes in the first part of the 20th century Edward Herbert Thompson 1857 1935 an American diplomat who had bought the Chichen Itza site began dredging the Sacred Cenote there in 1904 He discovered human skeletons and sacrificial objects confirming a local legend the Cult of the Cenote involving human sacrifice to the rain god Chaac by the ritual casting of victims and objects into the cenote 20 However not all cenotes were sites of human sacrifice The cenote at Punta Laguna has been extensively studied and none of the approximately 120 individuals show signs of sacrifice 21 The remains of this cultural heritage are protected by the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage 22 Scuba diving EditMain article Cave diving Yucatan Peninsula Mexico Scuba diving in a cenote Cenotes have attracted cavern and cave divers and there are organized efforts to explore and map these underwater systems They are public or private and sometimes considered National Natural Parks Great care should be taken to avoid spoiling this fragile ecosystem when diving In Mexico the Quintana Roo Speleological Survey maintains a list of the longest and deepest water filled and dry caves within the state boundaries When cavern diving one must be able to see natural light the entire time that one is exploring the cavern e g Kukulkan cenote near Tulum Mexico During a cave dive one passes the point where daylight can penetrate and one follows a safety guideline to exit the cave Things change quite dramatically once moving from a cavern dive into a cave dive Too many divers even experienced ones have died for ignoring safety recommendations 23 Contrary to cenote cavern diving cenote cave diving requires special equipment and training certification for cave diving However both cavern and cave diving require detailed briefings diving experience and weight adjustment to freshwater buoyancy The cenotes are usually filled with rather cool fresh water Cenote divers must be wary of possible halocline this produces blurred vision until they reach a more homogeneous area Notable cenotes EditAustralia Edit Ewens Ponds near Mount Gambier South Australia Kilsby Sinkhole near Mount Gambier South Australia Little Blue Lake near Mount Schank South AustraliaBahamas Edit Thunderball Grotto on Staniel CayBelize Edit Great Blue HoleCanada Edit Devil s Bath 24 is the largest cenote in Canada at a size of 1178 ft 359m in diameter and 144 ft 44m in depth 25 It is located near the village of Port Alice British Columbia on the northwest coastline of Vancouver Island Devil s Bath is continuously fed by an underground spring and is connected by underwater tunnel to the Benson River Cave 26 Dominican Republic Edit Hoyo Azul Punta Cana Los Tres Ojos Ojos Indigenas Punta Cana Jamaica Edit Blue Hole Ocho Rios Mexico Edit Central and northern regions Edit Zacaton TamaulipasYucatan Peninsula Edit Dos Ojos Municipality of Tulum Dzibilchaltun Yucatan Ik Kil Yucatan Gran Cenote Municipality of Tulum Hubiku Yucatan Sacred Cenote Chichen Itza Xtacunbilxunan Bolonchen Cenote Azul Playa del Carmen Jardin Del Eden Bacalar Choo Ha Coba Zaci Valladolid El Zapote the site of the Hells Bells bell like rock formationUnited States Edit Blue Hole Santa Rosa New Mexico Blue Hole Castalia Ohio Bottomless Lakes near Roswell New Mexico Montezuma Well Verde Valley Arizona Hamilton Pool Austin TexasZimbabwe Edit Chinhoyi Caves in ZimbabweSee also Edit Earth sciences portal Water portalAquifer Underground layer of water bearing permeable rock Blue hole Marine cavern or sinkhole open to the surface in carbonate bedrock Karst Topography from dissolved soluble rocks Quintana Roo Speleological Survey Data repository for explored sites within the state of Quintana Roo Saltwater intrusion Movement of saline water into freshwater aquifers Sinkhole Geologically formed topological depression List of sinkholes Links to Wikipedia articles on sinkholes blue holes dolines cenotes and pit cavesReferences EditCitations Edit Cenote Hubiku Temozon Mexico Atlas Obscura or tz onot in some secondary sources such as Sharer amp Traxler 2006 p 52 Tim Scoones producer Jeff Goodman photography Dominique Rissolo scientific adviser Tom Iliffe sci adv Patricia Beddows sci adv Jill Yager sci adv 2005 Secrets of the Maya Underworld Television production BBC Discovery Channel Event occurs at 3 07 Retrieved June 8 2010 a b Soraya Kishwari 12 January 2023 A New Tourist Train in Mexico Will Destroy Indigenous Land and Livelihoods Time Gaona Vizcayno S Gordillo de Anda T M Villasuso Pino M 1980 Cenotes karst caracteristico Mecanismo de formacion Instituto de Geologia v 4 pp 32 36 Lysakowska Anna 2016 05 30 The Best Cenotes in Mexico Ultimate Guide Anna Everywhere Anna Everywhere Retrieved 2017 01 20 a b c d Beddows PA 2003 Yucatan Phreas Mexico In Gunn John ed Encyclopaedia of Cave and Karst Science New York USA Routledge Taylor amp Francis Group pp 794 796 ISBN 978 1 57958 399 6 Long Underwater Caves Hall F G 1936 Physical and chemical survey of cenotes of Yucatan Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication 457 pp 5 16 Medina Gonzalez Roger M 1995 Aspectos biologicos de los cenotes de Yucatan PDF www seduma yucatan gob mx UADY FMVZ Biologia Departamento de Ecologia Archived from the original PDF on 2015 05 01 Retrieved 2017 09 20 Pope KO Ocampo AC Kinsland GL Smith R 1996 Surface expression of the Chicxulub crater Geology 24 6 527 30 Bibcode 1996Geo 24 527P doi 10 1130 0091 7613 1996 024 lt 0527 SEOTCC gt 2 3 CO 2 PMID 11539331 Bottke William F Vokrouhlicky David Nesvorny David September 2007 An asteroid breakup 160 Myr ago as the probable source of the K T impactor PDF Nature 449 7158 48 53 Bibcode 2007Natur 449 48B doi 10 1038 nature06070 PMID 17805288 S2CID 4322622 Floyd B Largent Jr June 2005 Early Humans South of the Border New finds from the Yucatan Peninsula PDF Mammoth Trumpet 20 3 8 11 Retrieved February 20 2011 a b c Fabio Esteban Amador February 18 2011 Skull in Underwater Cave May Be Earliest Trace of First Americans NatGeo News Watch National Geographic Archived from the original on 2011 02 26 Retrieved February 19 2011 Eliza Barclay September 3 2008 Oldest Skeleton in Americas Found in Underwater Cave National Geographic News National Geographic Retrieved February 20 2011 Cave Archeology of Early Americans PDF News from the Field El Centro Investigador del Sistema Aquifero de Quintana Roo 6 Winter 2011 Archived from the original PDF on 2015 02 06 Retrieved February 19 2011 Fedick Scott L 1998 Kathryn Bernick ed Ancient Maya Use of Wetlands in Northern Quintanaa Roo Mexico Hidden Dimensions The Cultural Significance of Wetland Archaeology Toronto UBC Press ISBN 0 7748 0633 8 Retrieved January 16 2011 What is a Cenote How are Cenotes formed SmartXpat smartxpat com 2023 01 11 Retrieved 2023 01 26 Romey Kristin 2005 Watery Tombs Archaeology 58 4 42 49 Munro Paul Maria de Lourdes Melo Zurita 2011 The Role of Cenotes in the Social History of Mexico s Yucatan Peninsula Environment and History 17 4 583 612 doi 10 3197 096734011X13150366551616 Tratamientos mortuorios en los cenotes Arqueologia Mexicana in Spanish 2016 11 01 Retrieved 2023 02 09 Underwater Cultural Heritage UNESCO 2015 Retrieved 11 October 2015 Association for Mexican Cave Studies Activities Newsletter Number 33 PDF June 2010 Devils Bath Largest Sinkhole on Vancouver Island Pinterest com 2016 Retrieved 13 May 2016 Alice Lake Loop Tour Tourism Vancouver Island North 2016 Retrieved 13 May 2016 Port Alice Caving And Bouldering Village of Port Alice 2016 Archived from the original on 5 June 2016 Retrieved 13 May 2016 Other sources Edit RAE Real Academia Espanola 2001 Diccionario de la lengua espanola in Spanish 22nd ed Madrid Editorial Espasa Calpe ISBN 84 239 6814 6 OCLC 48657242 Archived from the original on 2010 02 06 Sharer Robert J Loa P Traxler 2006 The Ancient Maya 6th fully revised ed Stanford CA Stanford University Press ISBN 0 8047 4816 0 OCLC 28067148 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cenote Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Cenotes of the Yucatan Cenotes of Chichen Itza Doline Sinkhole Cenote Sistema Zacaton Stages in the Formation of a Cenote Volcanic karstification of Sistema Zacaton Mexico Gary Sharp 2006 Year 1999 Cenotes Conference in Perugia Italy Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cenote amp oldid 1138443130, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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