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The mystery of cenotes... The legend goes that 65 million years ago, a huge meteor struck the Yucatan Peninsula, leaving a 284km-wide crater on the surface. Millions of years later, cracks formed below the limestone surface of the crater, enabling rainwater to fill the cavities thus created and creating an immense network of underground rivers and reservoirs. The cenotes are sorts of wells (open-air) or caverns like here, supplied by underground rivers and streams. There are thousands of them in Yucatan, and Xenote Dzitnup (or Xkeken - its Mayan name) is probably one of the most spectacular. Cenote Dzitnup (entrance €2) is 7km west of Valladolid and the main reason why we stopped there in the first place. |
Cenote Dzitnup |
Le mystère des cenotes... L'histoire veut qu'une énorme météorite ait frappé la péninsule du Yucatan il y a 65 millions d'années, formant un cratère de 284km de diamètre. Quelques millions d'années plus tard, des fissures ont commencé à se former dans le sol calcaire de ce cratère, permettant à l'eau de pluie de s'infiltrer dans le sous-sol, petit à petit formant un réseau immense de rivières et réservoirs souterrains. Les cenotes sont des puits (ouverts) ou, comme ici, des lacs souterrains alimentés par ce rivières - le sous-sol du Yucatan en regorge. Le Cenote Dzitnup (ou Xkeken - son nom Maya) est l'un des plus spectaculaires d'entre eux. Le Cenote Dzitnup (entrée 2€) est 7km à l'ouest de Valladolid, et la raison principale qui a motivé notre étape. |
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Here's the first glimpse we get of the water... in quite an eerie atmosphere - our murmurs of surprise and bewilderment echoing against the many stalagmites and stalagtites
What a beautiful and surnatural place, when you enter the cavern and see the blue water, crystal clear
we were lucky, we had the place almost to ourselves, except for a pair of Mexican mothers with their kids
you can actually go round this natural pool and step into the water anywhere it's practical, here's the spot we chose
you will no doubt have noticed some of the pictures are somewhat blurry - this is what happens unfortunately when you use the slow shutter without a tripod...
the water's not even cold - which you would expect being underground - it's very nice and clear, and despite the relative darkness, you can perfectly see the bottom
the light comes both from one hole in the ceiling that lets the afternoon sun in and spotlights carefully placed on the walls - at solstice, the sun floods in, we've seen pictures, looks amazing
this is, by far, the most gorgeous 'swimming-pool' I've ever been to. You swim among black fish, observing the many stalagtites, in such a quiet and serene atmosphere, only broken by the cries of the many bats who inhabit the cave
attempt of a photograph with flash... eerie ( by the way, the greener spot by the main stalagtite - it's me!)
©KarenWeb2005
music: Children (Robert Miles) - midi file