Editing Cenote (section)

{{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, Yucatan<ref>[https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cenote-hubiku Cenote Hubiku – Temozón, Mexico | Atlas Obscura]</ref>]]
{{wikt | cenote}}

A '''cenote''' ({{IPAc-en|lang|pron|s|ᵻ|ˈ|n|oʊ|t|i}} <small>or</small> {{IPAc-en|s|ɛ|ˈ|n|oʊ|t|eɪ}}; {{IPA|es-419|seˈnote|lang}}) is a natural [[pit cave|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 civilization |Maya]] commonly used cenotes for water supplies, and occasionally for [[sacrifice in Maya culture| sacrificial offerings]]. The name derives from a word used by the lowland [[Yucatec Maya]]—{{wikt-lang|yua|tsʼonoʼot}}<!--⟨ʼ⟩ not ⟨'⟩-->—to refer to any location with accessible groundwater.<ref name="Sharer2006"/><ref name="scoones2005"/>

In Mexico the Yucatán Peninsula alone has an estimated 10,000 cenotes,<ref name="Destroy"/> 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 [[Tren Maya| Maya Train]].<ref name="Destroy">{{cite magazine|url= https://time.com/6245748/maya-train-tulum-yucatan-indigenous-people-land/|title=A New Tourist Train in Mexico Will Destroy Indigenous Land and Livelihoods|date= 12 January 2023|author= Soraya Kishwari|magazine=[[Time (magazine) |Time]]}}</ref>

Cenotes are common geological forms in low-altitude regions, particularly on islands (such as Cefalonia, Greece), 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]], [[Europe]], and the [[United States]].