Mexico Attractions

Venue: Yucatan    When: Daily

It was not until three centuries after the arrival of the Spanish that the great question of how the Mayan civilisation could have flowered in the Yucatan was finally answered. How could this flat and riverless plain ever have supported the growth of the huge city states whose ruins lie scattered upon it now? The answer is found in the cenote (pronounced sen-o-tay).

The Yucatan peninsula is made of limestone, which any geography student can tell you is both porous and soft. Over thousands of years, rainwater has eroded the limestone to create intricate networks of channels which filter the water down beneath the ground where it forms underground rivers. Where these secret rivers surface, they form cenotes: deposits of cool, fresh, clear water. These pools were the key to the Mayan's ability to sustain their elaborate culture and to build their magnificent temples to deities like Chaac, the god of rain.

There are literally thousands of cenotes all over the Yucatan, and apart from making the most sublime of swimming pools, they also pose a challenge to the adventurous caver and scuba diver. The caves at Dzitnup, Bolonchojol, X'pakay and Chacsinicché are a true cave-diver's paradise, with labyrinths of blue water caves to explore.

If you prefer to go caving on foot rather than in flippers, head to the Puuc region of the Yucatan, near the centre of the peninsula plain. Here you'll find a small range of low hills with few cenotes where the water table can only be reached at depths of 100 metres. There are many dry caves here, some of them easy to gain access to, majestic in their proportions and in the beauty of the rock formations therein. Filled with stalactites, stalagmites and concretions, they really are awe-inspiring.

Many of the caves in the region have not been mapped and you could find a guide to take you around some of the lesser known ones. To start with, though, check out Loltún, Calcehtok, Sabac-há, Actunhom, Waaybil-Actún and Xtacumbil-xunaan.