Mexico's Underground Secret - The Majestic Cenotes of the Yucatan

If you are planning to visit Mexico's Yucatan Pensinsula then you just have to visit at least one fo the mystic Cenotes near Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or Tulum. The cenotes are located in the jungle and offer a fascinating, breathtaking, and enchanting experience that you will never forget.

What exactly are the Cenotes?

Cenotes are wells filled with rainwater and underground river currents. These "caverns with water" were named "Dz'onot" by the Mayans, thus originating the term "cenotes". The water temperature is around 75°F (24°C), making swimming in cenotes a refreshing experience.

Cenotes are large water-filled underground caves or holes with crystal clear and cool water. Interestingly, there are fish, plants, turtles, and even small crocodiles that live in many of these cenotes.

Cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula

The Yucatan Peninsula used to be a huge reef. But due to a drop in sea level, it turned into the flat limestone landscape we see today. This terrain now has many cracks which store rainwater and link to a vast system of underground rivers. Over 7,000 of these water-filled cracks, known as cenotes, exist in the Mexican jungle.

Over 2,200 cenotes in the Yucatan region have been documented, with almost 900 located in the "Ring of Cenotes" near Merida. The area is also home to some of the world's longest cave systems, including Sistema Sac Actun in Riviera Maya. This system contains more than 226 cenotes and has revealed ancient human bones and ice age creature remains dating back 9,000 years.

The Significance of Cenotes for the Mayan Culture

The Mayans believed that cenotes were crucial as sources of water and were also believed to be entrances into the underworld. Moreover, they were highly revered by their gods, with Chaac, the god of thunder, lighting, and rainfall, being particularly associated with these sites. As a result, many Mayan cities and temples were constructed near cenotes, and it has been found that structures like Chichen Itza were built on their foundations.

Archaeological findings show that the Maya society viewed cenotes as a symbol of duality, as they represented both life and death. Some cenotes were transformed into religious sanctuaries where rituals and offerings were performed to please the gods. Valuable objects such as ceramics, gold, jade, and incense, as well as human remains, have been discovered in these sacred cenotes. Research has been conducted on the human bones excavated at the Sagrado Cenote in Chichen Itza, revealing marks that suggest the possibility of human sacrifice.

Cenotes are an important source of water for the peninsula and also attract millions of tourists every year who come to swim, dive, and appreciate their natural beauty.

Types of Cenotes

Open Cenotes: Typically, open cenotes are circular pits that are large in size and filled with crystal clear, blue water.

Closed Cenotes: The cenotes are situated completely below the ground, and they can only be reached through caves or tunnels. Typically, the water in these cenotes is cool and dark.

Semi-open Cenotes: These cenotes have sections that are both open to the surface and located underground. When a cenote has both open and underground parts, its water may appear either clear or dark, or a mixture of both.

Cavern Cenotes: The cenotes can be found in underground caverns that are reachable via a connected system of tunnels.

How were the Cenotes in Yucatan Mexico formed?

The Yucatan Peninsula has porous limestone soil that can collapse and create cenotes due to rain and underground rivers. When freshwater and seawater mix in the Riviera Maya, the halocline can dissolve rock faster and cause landslides that form flooded chambers like Dos Ojos and Sac Actun cenotes.

Cenotes in the Yucatan Today

Cenotes have become increasingly crucial in providing valuable information about the history of our planet, our species, and the Mayan culture. They are like silent time capsules that offer insights into the evolution of our planet.

The Yucatan Peninsula's lack of visible rivers makes it a great place to discover nature and engage in archaeological expeditions to uncover artifacts from the ancient Mayans and previous inhabitants.