Cenotes are natural features which exist in the limestone of the Yucatan Peninsula. Water dissolves away the limestone from underneath, causing a sinkhole. Eventually the ground over the sinkhole breaks,  usually with a  small opening revealing a large cavern underneath.  The older the cenote is, the larger the hole becomes. Many cenotes have had their roofs completely collapse and now look more like an abandoned quarry than a cave.

(Thanks so much to my friend Jeff Phillips for the following words and pictures. He kindly agreed to be my guest blogger for this posting.)

We were introduced to Cenotes Suytun as part of a package tour to Chechen-Itza, and we were very glad to have the opportunity to tour it. We could easily have spent half the day there, but our time was limited to about an hour. It was a laid-back destination worthy of more relaxation time. The rock below greets you as you walk in from parking…

Look at the reception area below. Doesn’t it look inviting? After the two hour van ride to get here, I was ready for a cold cerveza, but exploring was more important.

Our guide, a native Mayan, taught us much about the significance of cenotes to his people. He also explained many cultural traditions from day-to-day Mayan life… practices in use today, as they were thousands of years ago. Not pictured in this sequence is a small (of course small!) Mayan homestead, reconstructed by the owners of Cenotes Suytun so that visitors may gain a better understanding of daily Mayan life. A late-teen girl dressed in traditional Mayan-wear was making corn tortillas from scratch… I mean REALLY from scratch… grinding dried corn, adding water, making a cornmeal paste, frying in a pan over a wood fire… Given her attractiveness, I’m surprised to have retained detail about her travails! Having this glimpse helped our appreciation of Mayan life, then and now.

It looks like a big well, doesn’t it? The owners built a stone wall around the mouth of the cenote, to keep visitors from falling in! Aside from the stone wall around it, the cenote mouth looks just as the owner discovered it–a big hole in the ground, with a dim blue circle of water visible where the sunlight penetrates. He tied a rope to a tree, and lowered himself into the hole to discover the cenote’s grandeur.

This sign advises visitors venturing down into the cenote itself. Notable to us was the advice not to expect to bathe if you were wearing sunblock. This is drinking water to some, and so it is to be respected, and not polluted in any way. We were sure not to leave any “trass” behind in this sacred place!

The owner of Cenotes Suytun had a staircase hewn out of the surrounding rock–a much easier entrance to the cenote than descending on a rope!

Once inside, you begin to see the myriad stalactites and stalagmites that have formed over thousands and millions of years. Upon entering the cenote, you realize that the ground above that you think of as completely solid, may not be! A whole new world may exist a mere 3 meters beneath the surface, hollowed-out and decorated by eons of persistent, seeping mineral-laden groundwater.

As the stairs emerge into the cenote, near the ceiling of the cave, you get to appreciate the immense size of the stalactites, and the beauty of the pond below. The white streaks you see are ropes suspended just over the surface of the water, for the convenience and safety of the bathers. The tiles and circular stage were added by the owner, but I’m not sure why. I recall someone telling me that they use the stage for events from time to time.

More stairs descend inside the cenote, leading to the bathing area and benches on which to rest. One large mercury-vapor light provides illumination for the entire cave.

Below is Lois, my Honey, half-way down the stairs. She thought to bring a jacket, which is a good idea, BTW, since the natural temperature inside cenotes is about 17 degrees C (62F). The water is about the same temperature, making for a chilly splash. We did not partake.

Brighter than any spotlight I’ve ever wielded, the sun’s illumination penetrates the water and reflects off the fine white silt that forms the pond’s bottom.

Looking up, you can see a drastically different view of the same hole you saw in the ground while topside. Water drips continuously, and following a drop will tell you that from floor to ceiling, the cenote is at least 18 meters high (59 feet).

Here is a better view of the hole from directly underneath.

The grand cenote ceiling, lit by the sunlight reflected back up from the illuminated silt. Beautiful!

A view from the floor up toward the stairs.

One last view of the entire ascent.

Topside, a charming place to change back into civvies.

Back in the tour van and headed to Chechen-Itza, we passed through tiny Mayan villages, but now we had a greater appreciation for these people, and the cenotes that are so important to their culture and their lives.

by Jeff Phillips, guest blogger, 2010-03