A cenote is a natural sinkhole formed when limestone bedrock collapses, exposing underground freshwater. These stunning pools, mostly in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, attract visitors for their beauty, mystery, and rich cultural and geological value.

The name “cenote” comes from the Yucatec Maya word ts’onot, meaning “a place with groundwater.” Cenotes are gateways to underground aquifers, formed over thousands of years. They are a vital part of Yucatán’s natural and cultural heritage.

The water in cenotes is incredibly clear, thanks to rainwater filtering slowly through the ground, removing impurities. Some cenotes appear calm with slow-moving water, while others can have underground rivers flowing at speeds of up to 10 km per day.

There are over 6,000 cenotes in the Yucatán. In the north, these cenotes plunge into deep vertical voids, some stretching 50 to 100 meters below the surface. Along the Caribbean coast, they often lead into some of the world’s largest underwater cave systems.

Some cenotes appear as open-air lagoons, while others remain hidden inside caves, accessible only to swimmers or divers. These secret pools often connect to vast cave systems, making them a fascinating destination for explorers and scientists alike.

To the ancient Maya, cenotes were sacred. They saw them as entrances to the underworld, known as Xibalba, and believed these waters had spiritual power. Some cenotes were even used for sacrificial offerings and ceremonial purposes.

Today, many cenotes still carry a strong sense of mystery and reverence.

Visiting a cenote isn’t just about a swim – it’s about entering a natural world carved over thousands of years. From snorkeling and diving to photography and cultural exploration, cenotes are among the most magical experiences Mexico has to offer.

Cenotes come in different shapes and forms, each offering a unique experience:

  • Open cenotes
  • Semi-open cenotes
  • Cave cenotes

Open cenotes are the most photogenic and Instagram-worthy. Large and exposed to the sky, often with hanging vines and sunbeams piercing through. Perfect for swimming, snorkeling, and relaxing in nature.

Semi-open cenotes are part cave, part open-air. These offer a mystical mix of light and shadow, echoes, and calm, crystal-clear water. Ideal for a peaceful snorkel or meditative diving excursion.

Cave cenotes are dark, mysterious, and awe-inspiring. Accessible only with a guide and suitable for experienced divers, these hidden temples of water reveal why the Maya considered cenotes sacred.

While cenotes are mostly a Yucatán thing, a few can appear in nearby regions like parts of Tamaulipas, but these are exceptions rather than the rule. Most of the Mexican cenotes are concentrated almost exclusively on the Yucatán Peninsula.

Yucatán has thousands of cenotes, many arranged in a distinct circular pattern formed by a meteorite impact 66 million years ago. This impact fractured the limestone bedrock in a wide, round shape beneath the peninsula.

The massive meteorite impact created the Chicxulub Crater.

The underground fractures of the Chicxulub Crater helped shape where many cenotes formed, especially along the crater’s rim. Over millions of years, rainwater seeped into these fractured zones, dissolving the limestone and forming underground caves and sinkholes (cenotes).

Many cenotes follow the edge and interior of the Chicxulub Crater, so the meteor’s impact helped determine where some cenotes formed. The impact created the crater, and the crater’s geology (the fractured bedrock, faults, etc.) influenced where cenotes formed.

So the chain is: Impact → Crater → Geological changes → Cenote formation.

That’s why many cenotes appear in a ring shape across northern Yucatán. Outside the crater, cenotes still form naturally due to limestone dissolving underground, but the crater increased their number and shaped their circular pattern.

This geological history explains why Yucatán has so many cenotes and why they often appear in a circle. The impact’s lasting effect on the landscape turned the Yucatán into a natural wonderland of freshwater caves and sinkholes.

The Chicxulub impact played a significant role in creating favorable geological conditions for many cenotes, especially around the crater rim, but cenotes can also form elsewhere in the peninsula due to the typical karst limestone landscape.

Unlike the open ocean, cenotes host less plant and animal life, but they still offer unique biodiversity. Many fish and amphibians thrive in the calm, filtered waters of these freshwater sinkholes, especially in the cave and cavern environments.

In well-lit cenotes and caverns, you might spot mojarras, mollies, guppies, catfish, frogs, or even small freshwater eels. These species are adapted to freshwater conditions and often gather in groups, feeding on microorganisms in the still waters.

In darker, hidden cenotes, nature becomes more mysterious. Animals living here have evolved to survive without sunlight, developing unique adaptations that allow them to thrive in total darkness.

Many of these cave-dwelling species lack pigmentation and are completely blind. Instead, they rely on elongated feelers and heightened senses to move, hunt, and interact with their environment in pitch-black conditions.

The Yucatán Peninsula’s aquifer is a rare anchialine system where fresh rainwater floats above denser seawater. In deep cenotes, this creates a halocline – a visible layer where the waters meet, producing a surreal, shimmering effect due to density changes.

The halocline’s depth varies with distance from the sea. In coastal cenotes, it’s found around 10–20 meters deep. Further inland, it can drop to depths of 50–100 meters, adding a dramatic layer to the diving experience and highlighting the aquifer’s complexity.

Between 2001 and 2002, explorers discovered three ancient human skeletons in Yucatán cenotes. One of them, called Eve of Naharon, was carbon-dated to be over 13,600 years old – one of the oldest human remains found in the Americas.

In 2008, divers from the Proyecto Espeleológico de Tulum found a mastodon and a human skull in Hoyo Negro, a pit inside Sistema Sac Actun. The human remains, found 43 meters deep, could be among the oldest ever found in the region.

Due to its geology, the Yucatán Peninsula lacks rivers and lakes. Cenotes provided the only year-round fresh water. That’s why ancient Maya cities were built around them, including major sites like the iconic Chichén Itzá.

Cenotes were more than water sources—they were sacred places. The Maya believed cenotes were portals to the afterlife and offered valuable items, even people, to the gods by casting them into the water during rituals.

Golden artifacts found in sacred cenotes sparked early archaeological digs. In 1904, Edward Herbert Thompson began dredging Chichén Itzá’s Sacred Cenote, uncovering bones and offerings that confirmed ancient legends.

These included sacrifices to the rain god Chaac. Victims and offerings were thrown into cenotes during ceremonies, a practice known as the Cult of the Cenote. The findings provided deep insight into Maya’s spiritual life.

Today, the remains of these rituals and artifacts found in cenotes are protected under the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, preserving this history for future generations.

Cenotes attract divers worldwide. These cave and cavern systems are explored and mapped by organized dive groups. Some cenotes are public, others private, and many are considered part of protected National Natural Parks.

Divers must take great care to avoid damaging these fragile ecosystems. Even the bubbles and fins of divers can disturb delicate formations, stir up silt, or harm aquatic life in these sensitive environments.

The Quintana Roo Speleological Survey lists the region’s longest and deepest flooded and dry cave systems. Cavern diving means always staying in sight of natural light while exploring these stunning spaces.

Cave diving, on the other hand, goes beyond the reach of daylight. Divers must follow safety lines to navigate. It’s a more complex and dangerous activity that requires discipline and absolute attention to detail.

The transition from cavern to cave is not a small step. Many divers have died after ignoring cave diving rules. Safety training, planning, and proper gear are essential for survival in the cave environment.

Cave diving demands special certifications and equipment. Even for cavern dives, divers must have proper briefings, experience, and adjust their weight for freshwater, which behaves differently from ocean water.

Cenote waters are cool and fresh. Divers may encounter a halocline – a blurry layer where fresh and saltwater meet. This distortion affects visibility but disappears when moving deeper into a uniform water layer.

The Yucatán Peninsula and surrounding regions are home to thousands of cenotes, each with its unique charm and features. Some stand out for their size, crystal-clear waters, historical significance, or spectacular underwater cave systems.

Here are 20 of the most outstanding cenotes you can explore in Mexico:

  • Cenote Ik Kil in Yucatán
  • Sacred Cenote in Yucatán
  • Gran Cenote in Quintana Roo
  • Cenote Dos Ojos in Quintana Roo
  • Cenote El Pit in Quintana Roo
  • Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich in Quintana Roo
  • Cenote Choo-Ha in Quintana Roo
  • Cenote Zací in Yucatán
  • Cenote Oxman in Yucatán
  • Cenote Samula in Yucatán
  • Cenote X’keken in Yucatán
  • Cenote Jardín del Edén in Quintana Roo
  • Cenote Calavera in Quintana Roo
  • Cenote Car Wash in Quintana Roo
  • Cenote Aktun Chen in Quintana Roo
  • Cenote Tsukán in Yucatán
  • Cenote Xcanche in Yucatán
  • Cenote Zacatón in Tamaulipas
  • Cenote Santa Bárbara in Yucatán
  • Cenote Yaxbacaltun in Yucatán

These incredible cenotes are a must-see for any traveler.