Cenotes Playa del Carmen

The Mayas called them dzonot, which the Spanish conquerors translated as cenote. 

Cenotes are magical, enigmatic and unique in the world and were once the only resource for the drinking water on the peninsula of Yucatan.  For that reason, they were sacred places, but also they were the entrance to the underworld for the Mayas.

The Yucatán Peninsula consists of porous limestone with no visible rivers. All the fresh water rivers are underground and in the underground caverns and caves you can admire stalactites and stalagmites, true natural works of art. Holes in the ceiling allow the sunlight to filter into the cenotes and gives the scene a magical feeling. 

The cenotes of Yucatán are natural treasures, that  should be protected. Man should not destroy in few days, what nature created in millions of years.

There are four different types of cenotes:

• completely underground
• half underground "cenote"
• like a lake or pond on land level
• and open wells

Some of them are accessible for swimming and diving, but this is a sport that should ONLY be practiced with a professional guide.