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Swimming with the Spiritsin the Yucatan's Secret CenotesBy Phil Saviano -- Photos click open to a larger view -- It's easy to see why the cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula were sacred to the ancient Mayans. First of all, these hidden limestone wells were the Indians' only source of life-sustaining fresh water. But they were also doorways to a mysterious inner world of breathtaking beauty. What is puzzling is why tourists to Mexico's popular Caribbean coast don't know more about them. Venturing out within two hours of Cancun, it's possible to snorkel day after day in captivating natural settings, yet never once set foot in salt water. There are dozens of cenotes (pronounced say-NO-tays) in the
Yucatan, testaments to Under the limestone shelf, however, it's a different story. In the darkness below, rainwater filters into an extensive underground river system that flows slowly to the sea. Cenotes form when a portion of the earth's crust collapses. What's left is an opening filled with crystal clear water, pure enough to drink and plentiful enough to sustain a large community. All of the famous Mayan archaeological sites are located where cenotes exist. So important were they to the survival of the Mayans, that they became hallowed places important in many religious rituals. The small, inland city of Valladolid, about two hours drive-time west of Cancun, is close to three of the more easily visited cenotes. This peaceful colonial town boasts two of the oldest churches in all of Mexico, but it is surprisingly lacking in tourists. The prices here are much lower than in Cancun, the restaurants are more authentic, and on the street corners, you can still hear natives speaking in ancient Mayan dialects. On the outskirts of town, about 3 km. away, is cenote "X'keken," also known by its Mayan name, Dzitnup. To see the cenote in its most natural beauty, go early in the day, before the local kids and tour busses arrive. You enter the cenote with a steep, 56-step descent into the bowels of the earth where the air is warm, humid and silent. There's a stunning scene inside. A giant cave opens up some 50 feet over a large, crystal-clear pool. Long, thick tree roots hang down like ropes from the stone ceiling, straining toward the water. At midday, the sun shines in through a small opening in the roof, refracting in the water with an eerie, blue glow.
Just 27 miles from Valladolid is Chichen Itza, one of the Mayan world's most famous archaeological sites. Its fabled "Sacred Cenote" lies at the end of a half-mile path leading north from El Castillo, Chichen's grand pyramid. Swimming is not allowed here, but the cenote is a fascinating sight, both because of its size, and because of the mystery of its use during Mayan times. The huge well is some 200 feet in diameter. Striated, white
limestone walls drop down Peering down from the ridge at the top, it is clear why someone tossed into the waters could not get out; the slippery, white walls are nearly vertical to the bottom. Legend has it that victims were dropped into the well in early morning. If anyone was able to swim and survive until noontime, the Mayans fished them out and praised them for the special knowledge they had gained from the spirits down below. For centuries, trees and shrubs have washed into the well making it difficult, and dangerous, for divers to do further explorations. Since the cenote is fed by a series of underground rivers, it is also impossible to drain it. Undoubtedly, many more bones and artifacts remain at the bottom.
Many of the other cenotes in this region are deep in the jungle and difficult to get to, so it's easier and safer to visit them with certified guides on an organized tour. Gordon "Buddy" Quattlebaum runs one of the best tours at his Dos Ojos Dive Center, located on Highway 307, 40 minutes south of Playa del Carmen. Buddy offers both snorkeling and skin diving expeditions, and promises "the best cave diving experience in the Yucatan, or your money back." Originally from Miami, Buddy has been exploring cenotes here
for over six years, and is well known in international cave
diving circles. In 1996, he led an expedition of over 40 divers
from seven countries who charted the unexplored maze of underwater
caverns, tunnels and cenotes of the Ejido Systema Pat cave
system. Named after the Mayan- Exploring the region a few years ago, I went along on Buddy's four-hour "Jungle Snorkel Tour." It was led by Rosemary Redgen, an Australian cave diving specialist, and a young Mexican named Christos. We went to three separate caverns deep in the wilderness, and, as the saying goes, "getting there was half the fun!" Our group of six snorkelers and two guides climbed aboard a rickety flat bed "jungle mobile," then headed for 2 ½ kilometers down a rocky trail through the lush jungle. From the drop off point, it was a 20-minute walk along a narrow footway, past wild pineapples, bromeliads and many species of wild orchids. The jungle is a known habitat for pumas, jaguars and spider monkeys, but the only animal life we saw was a large iguana, sunning itself on a tree limb up above. That was just as well. Rosemary told us about the unlucky day she stepped in a nest of biting fire ants. She also declared that since it was then January, she could let her guard down a bit, because tarantula season was over.
On Buddy's tours, non-swimmers are allowed to snorkel, but life vests are mandatory for everyone, even though the water is fairly shallow, with no current. The buoyant vests prevented us from carelessly swimming below the water surface and getting caught under the overhanging roof with no air to breathe. Rosemary also warned us repeatedly against touching any of those pointy drip stone formations that hung down off the ceiling like the teeth of a giant shark. "They are more delicate than they look," she said, "and it takes 1,000 years for them to grow just one inch in length." She also pointed out several fossils of brain coral, proof that the land was once under the sea. The water was pleasantly warm, about 78 degrees, with superb
visibility. As we snorkeled around the perimeter of the cave,
our guides used flashlights to illuminate the Back above ground, we stopped at an authentic Mayan style home built entirely from materials found in the jungle. Rosemary took the opportunity to tell us a bit about the lifestyle of the area's indigenous people. After a brief rest, we continued through the jungle to the "Caverna
de Murcielagos," (Bat Cave). Once again, we descended down
a ladder to a dark, humid interior. Dos Ojos is a bright, large cave with one wall collapsed
and open to the jungle and the "It's pretty incredible, isn't it?" remarked Beth Sommers. She and her husband were visiting the Yucatan from Seattle, and one trip to this cenote was clearly not going to be enough. "You'd have to come back a second time, just to take it all in," she sighed. Joan and Brian Mellott from Colorado were even more enthusiastic. Although they had visited the Yucatan before, they had never seen the cenotes. "This is the most incredible thing. I've never seen anything so pretty," she exclaimed. "Our daughter goes cave exploring back home, and she would be in 7th heaven here!" To snorkelers, divers and nature enthusiasts, the Yucatan beckons with an enthralling, new experience. # # # GETTING
AROUND: www.VivaOaxacaFolkArt.com |
family
cooperative, the "Ejido" that owns the land, the
187,772 foot maze of interconnecting tunnels was established
as the world's longest underwater cave system in the Guinness
Book of Records. It beat the previous record of 168,400 held
by the Nohoch Nah Chich (Giant Birdhouse) system two miles
away, which was discovered by Cedam Dive Center's owner Mike
Madden in 1988.
