Hidden Gems Of The Yucatan: Find Cenotes And More

There are loads of cenotes spread all around Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The presence of these is as much a defining feature of the area as is the distinguished geological characteristic from which they appear. Back in the day, they were honoured by the early Mayans as holy wells. Now, they are currently attractions for tourists, adventure seekers, and nomads alike. This blog tells you all you need to know about cenotes and where to discover them. Keep reading to know more about these hidden gems of the Yucatan.

The Yucatan, Limestone and the Beginning of a Cenote

Hidden Gems Of The Yucatan — Credits: Unsplash

The Yucatan Peninsula is defined by its largely existing limestone bedrock. Limestone is a dissolvable kind of rock. If limestone is presented to bubbling water for extended duration of time such as millennia, the stone will ultimately fade. In the end, the result which is karst landscape, the porous bedrock does not permit for freshwater to store over the ground in means of water bodies such as rivers and lakes. Alternatively, drainage happens subsurface as rainwater comes through the perforated rock and accumulates under the ground where the method of erosion continues on.

However, the neighbouring bedrock destabilizes so much that it falls to show the cave below it. Hence, this is how a cenote is formed.

Distinctive kinds of cenotes exist in the hidden gems of Yucatan. Some are deep water-filled shafts with rigidly erect walls, while some are shallow but broad. Other cenotes are semi-open with a portion of the water exterior concealed from view in a cave. Entirely sunken cenotes are different type and can be accessed only via holes in the roof or by taking a walk by tunnels.

Cenotes were of utmost importance for the continuation of the native population that they were strongly rooted in the religious faith system. The Maya thought that cenotes will be a gateway to Xibalba, the underworld, and the god of rain, Chaac, was supposed to exist at the base of these holy wells. The Maya completed customs and functions at holy cenotes to pray for rainfall and good harvests.

With the aid of advanced technology, the hidden games of Yucatan have been connected to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Aerial mapping of the Yucatec sinkholes showed a round design through the forest. More research proved that this higher-density group of cenotes points out the end of a large meteorite crater, which has been recorded back to the edge within the age of Cretaceous and the age of Paleogene. This goes back some 66 million years before.

Famous Cenotes

The most popular of these hidden gems of the Yucatan is the hole Cenote close to the old Maya city of Chichen Itza, found in the northwest side of the Yucatan Peninsula. From its pits, archaeologists have produced artefacts of gold, jade, and pottery as well as human remnants whose wounds are linked it with the age-old practice of human sacrifice.

While human sacrifices no longer exist as a practice in current-times Maya culture, some descendants of the early Maya continue to pay their regards to the fictitious occupants of cenotes.

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