Cenotes are water-filled sinkholes that form in the limestone shelf prevalent in some areas of Mexico, especially the Yucatán Peninsula. The cenotes were very important to the early inhabitants of these regions as water sources are rare and the natural sinkholes were seen as a connection to the spirit world.

One large and well-studied cenote is the Cenote of Sacrifice at Chichén Itzá in the Yucatán Peninsula. Archaeologists have found many types of material goods in this cenote, including gold, jade and obsidian objects, as well as animal and human sacrifices. It is believed that these sacrifices were an attempt to communicate with the gods, specifically the water god Chac. Sacrifices were performed during times of economic or social stress, especially droughts, when the help of the gods was sought. Legend has it that only beautiful virgins were sacrificed at the cenotes, but the remains of both males and females, as well as young children, have been found.

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