| Tangled green vines brush my face as I trek behind our guide
deeper into the low-lying jungle. The narrow, gnarly path -- recently
cut by machete -- oozes damp, musty smells.
It is June, rainy season in Mexico, and temperatures are in
the 90s. We're in search of a cenote -- a clear, fresh water
pool -- also known as a sinkhole here in the Yucatán, a place
the Maya named Sian
Ka'an or " where the sky is born."
Although the Maya used these ancient wells as their water source
in an arid land that offered few rivers, our search is for recreational
purposes. We plan to cool off in the cenote's crystal waters,
to swim and to snorkel.
We traipse through thick forest growth alongside a mangrove
swamp at this spot just north of Playa del Carmen in the Riviera
Maya. With a wave of his hand our guide motions us to follow.
We ford the stream and stumble into a clearing. Surrounded by
brilliant green foliage, we spot the cenote; it's clarity is
beyond comparison. The heat of the day urges me close to the
water's edge. I stare down at my perfectly mirrored reflection
in the transparent pool, then strip to my swimsuit and take
the plunge.
MAYA UNDERWORLD
Cenotes are plentiful in this part of Mexico and fast becoming
a tourist attraction as vacationers find them a great place
to cool off in the Riviera Maya's sultry climate. Nearly 3,000
are known to exist in the Northeast Yucatán where the Maya civilization
flourished for 3,500 years.
To the Maya, cenotes were more than just a water source. The
Maya believed cenotes were the sacred entrance to the underworld
of spirits where Chaac, the rain god, lived. On a parched peninsula,
Chaac ruled in a long line of spiritual deities.
Although cenotes are plentiful in the Yucatán, exploring them
for snorkeling and diving is a fairly new phenomenon. Until
recently, the historical impact of cenotes was the draw to these
serene bodies of water as with the sacred cenote at Chichén-Itzá.
SACRED CENOTE AT CHICHEN-ITZA
Made famous by archeological explorer Edward H. Thompson,
Cenote Sagrado brought forth its diabolic history when Thompson
dredged it in 1904. Thompson brought up not only artifacts and
jewelry, but also human skeletons. In a land desperate for rain,
according to Thompson's explorations, human sacrifices were
made to appease Rain God Chaac.
Cenotes were formed millions of years ago when the oceans receded
and a limestone shelf emerged that now covers the Yucatán Peninsula.
A porous land, rain waters filtered down into the substructure
and created underground rivers. Then after the last Ice Age,
the oceans rose to their current levels and flooded the caves
left by the lacy limestone shelves, collapsing some, which then
created sink holes known as cenotes.
CAVE DIVERS
Many cenotes have small surface openings but unfold into intricate
cave systems that run for miles. This type of cenote is popular
with cave divers, and tackled by professionals like diver Mike
Madden, formerly of Akumal. Madden did some of the first cenote
explorations near Tulum, Quintana Roo, under the auspices of
CEDAM (Club de Exploraciones y Deportes Acuaticos de Mexico)
earning a spot in the Guiness Book of World Records in 1988
for documenting the world's longest underwater cave system -- 168,400
feet in all -- called Giant Birdhouse. Madden's explorations
proved that an intricate series of meandering underground waterways
exist, connecting cenote to cenote.
Not until January 2007 was Madden's record broken. Two foreign
divers, Brit Steve Bogaerts and German Robbie Schmitter connected
the Giant Birdhouse with another cave system called White Cave,
after 500 dives and four years. The world's longest underground
cave system measures a grand total of 95 miles.
EXTREME SPORT
Considered an extreme sport (statistics show 400 people have
died since 1963 while exploring underwater caves) cave diving
is gaining popularity and it's not uncommon to bump into serious
divers along this route. For relaxation rather than adventure,
two cenotes popular for a quick swim are Zaci and Dzitnup, located
in the colonial city Valladolid, 28 miles east of Chichén-Itzá.
Zaci's waters show off stalactites, and Dzitnup, an underground
cenote, has a hole in the ceiling where sunlight streams in
at mid-day.
Leaving the State of Yucatán and entering Quintana Roo, cenotes
dot Highway 307 south of Playa. Hidden Worlds Cenote Park, site
of the Amazing Caves IMAX film, is located near Xel-Ha. Two
gigantic sinkholes separated by a short distance makes for an
easy swim between the two.
A little further south at the Coba pyramid turnoff, Car Wash
Cenote is located on this lonely stretch of road dotted with
sinkholes. A wide pool, unspectacular at first sight, Car Wash
opens into an underwater cave where freshwater tropical fish
swim alongside turtles. Whatever your underground fantasy, you
can find it on the Cenote Trail of the Yucatán.
And the good news: there are thousands of cenotes, some famous,
some totally unknown. Hire a local guide, prepare for an adventure,
and don't forget your swimsuit.
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