Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Sunken Cities, Sacred Cenotes… An Entrance to the Underworld

Cenote

 

Cenote… water like I have never seen before.

Mesmerising.

Crystal clear, soothing, a place to cast one thoughts, mediate, to stand still and feel purified. 

If ever I wanted to dive deep to explore another world, the cenote would be it.

 

Cenote mexico yucatan

"Cenotes are complexes of sinkholes and caves in the Karst geological landscape of the Yucatán. Some cenotes contain spectacular cave formations, while others are important archaeological sites, and several were considered sacred by the Mayans. A few are open to the public for swimming and diving."

 

Yucatan cenote

 

It has been estimated that they are approximately 30,000 cenotes or exposed access points, although only 2400 are documented.

The word “Cenote” is pronounced, "say-no-tay".

 

Cenote jungle mexico

 

Cenotes are magical, enigmatic and unique in the world. At one time they were the only resource for fresh water in the Yucatecan jungle. For that reason the cenotes were sacred to the Mayas, as well as being a symbolic entrance to the underworld.

 

Maya underworld entrance

 

For more information about the Cenote sacred waters:

Maya News.

Yucatan Today

Cenotes of the Riviera Maya

Sunken Cities, Sacred Cenotes

Comments

16 responses to “Sunken Cities, Sacred Cenotes… An Entrance to the Underworld”

  1. Jill Flory

    That water looks absolutely breathtaking.

    Reply
  2. Tongue in Cheek

    Hi Jill,
    It is!
    C

    Reply
  3. Amy Kortuem

    Absolutely magical! Like getting baptized by the earth itself.

    Reply
  4. Brenda L. from TN.

    Just Beautiful! It almost “pulls you in”.
    Very Hypnotic!

    Reply
  5. Kathie B

    Geologically (and hydrologically), how were cenotes formed? High water tables + sink holes?

    Reply
  6. Kathie B

    I was close, but it might’ve helped if I’d tried to look it up first (LOL!).
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenote
    A cenote (English: /sɨˈnoʊtiː/ or /sɛˈnoʊteɪ/; Spanish: [seˈnote] or [θeˈnote]; plural: cenotes; from Yucatec Maya dzonot or ts’onot,[1] “well”[2]) is a deep natural pit, or sinkhole, characteristic of Mexico and Central America, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. Especially associated with the Yucatán Peninsula, and some nearby Caribbean islands, cenotes were sometimes used by the ancient Maya for sacrificial offerings. The term derives from a word used by the low-land Yucatec Maya, to mean any location with accessible groundwater.

    Reply
  7. Marilyn

    Gorgeous! These waters are amazing and I want to swim here. I hope you entered the water and bathed there.

    Reply
  8. Jenna

    What a trip, it gets more magical as each day passes. I hope you and Yann are soaking it all in.

    Reply
  9. Tongue in Cheek

    Hi M,
    You won’t believe this, but it was so cold, everyone had on wetsuits. We weren’t prepared for that, nor the rain that came soon after I took some photos! We sat inside the cave, near the water to stay out of the rain. Over an hour! Finally there was a break in the downpour and we ran to the car.
    Since we didn’t go in, we chalked it up as another reason to come back.
    C

    Reply
  10. Diogenes

    Wetsuits? Once I think about it, it makes sense….below ground spring water would be cold.
    We went to a French Bisto here called La Poubelle. On the menu? Mexican Coke for $4 a bottle. After reading about it here, of course I had to try it. There really is a big difference, better tasting.
    I wonder if you two are there during the rain season?

    Reply
  11. Rebecca from the pacific northwest

    Beautiful, especially the greens and blues reflecting on surface of the first one. This takes me back to childhood when I pored over National Geographic magazines, and archeologists exploring cenotes for the victims sacrificed and thrown in to them — propitiation to the gods. Oh how I wanted to be an archeologist somewhere.

    Reply
  12. Zosia

    Magic caves. Did you see any nymphs or water fairies?

    Reply
  13. Kathie B

    Reminds me of the caves at Burney Falls, where my parents and I once stopped on a blistering hot summer day in the northern Valley, after having visiting Mt. Lassen. We actually needed to put on our cardigan sweaters down there, it was so cool!

    Reply
  14. Marie-Noëlle

    Before reading this reply of yours, I was about to ask whether FH had had a dive …!
    When you go back and have a swim, make sure someone takes a picture!

    Reply
  15. Massilianana

    These looks enchanting. And maybe enchanted.Too bad the water is so cold.Are there any animals in it , like fish or frogs ?

    Reply
  16. Laura

    I was in one of them near Cancun. Nobody told us the water would be freezing. It’s freezing. But we kept going in our little inner tubes.
    Thankfully, it’s so hot and humid outside of the water, that we warmed up in a second.
    Cenotes can also be spooky because it can get quite dark in there!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions