Life giving holes in the ground

Published: Fri, 10/28/16

Hi In this part of Mexico, the Yucatan peninsula, there are no rivers and hardly any lakes. The land is pretty flat and apparently pretty new in geological terms. This area has only been above sea level for about 2 million years, which is yesterday compared with the rest of our planet. There are no hills and certainly no mountains for snow to accumulate on and then feed fresh water streams. Yet this area has been inhabited for millennia and currently supports a fairly large population, albeit mainly people working directly or indirectly in the tourist trade. There doesn’t seem to be any shortage of water either, everywhere is green and lush and huge amounts of water are used every day just to water the grounds of the resort, let alone the swimming pools and all the other demands that are made on the supply.

So, where does it come from? The whole peninsula is formed of limestone and the porous nature of this rock means that there is a vast network of underground rivers and reservoirs just a few feet underground. Most of the time this huge resource of water is invisible except where you find a cenote, a hole in the ground where the gently flowing water has caused a sink hole which reveals the water below.

Some of these cenotes are large enough to swim and dive in and have become minor tourist attractions. We visited one on Tuesday. There were actually two open holes linked by a cave which we could swim through. When I swam through on my back I could see bats roosting on the ceiling and a couple of them flying around. I borrowed some goggles and dived down to find shoals of fish and swimming turtles of various sizes up to about a foot (30cm) in length. The water is cooler than the sea but not cold and completely clear, as you would expect as it has been filtered through limestone.

Some cenotes are quite small, there is one just outside our accommodation block here at the resort. Our local example is only about 6 feet deep and less than 20 wide. Yet it has a population of fish and, as far as I can tell, just 1 large resident turtle. When the sun shines at the right angle the turtle sits on a rock and soaks up the heat.

Access to these reserves of fresh water was a major factor in the development of the Mayan civilisation. In fact to anyone living in this area the cenote is a source of life itself. Because of their importance the cenote was venerated which created a mystical tradition filled with ceremonies and sacrifices. Today, we may just see these water filled holes in the ground as geological phenomena. But, when you enter a cenote it is a strange and mysterious place, even today.

So, any point to this apart from talking about my visit to Mexico and sharing some pictures? Sometimes our most valuable resources are largely hidden and can only be accessed at special times and places. Here, that means water which today we can just drill for. In the past the cenote was the only places for finding drinking water and a means of irrigating crops. Where are your special places to access what you need in life?

Venetia’s brother’s wedding this afternoon and evening (the reason we came, it wasn’t just for fun, honestly). Then tomorrow afternoon we fly home again.

regards

Graham

PS A picture of our local cenote http://oxfordstavclub.co.uk/images/cenote01.jpg and some turtles in the larger one we visited earlier in the week http://oxfordstavclub.co.uk/images/turtle01.jpg