The Riviera Maya is famous for its archaeological legacy of impressive constructions that show us the wisdom of the traditional people. There, the beauty is combined with the imposing nature that shows geological features that can not be seen anywhere else in the world and that have given way to the cenotes.
The ghost rivers, as they are also known, are bodies of fresh water that have been filtered by limestone and have been an important part of Mayan history. The one that stands out the most for its size and appearance is the Cenote El Pit, considered the gateway to the Underworld.
Cenote El Pit
Cenote El Pit is located within the ejido Jacinto Pat, in the Xel-Ha area, 22 kilometers from the municipality of Tulum, in Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is a cavern cenote with only one known entrance, a hole in the roof of approximately 10 meters in diameter through which one descends using stairs into the cavern where the cenote lives.
The hole perfectly illuminates the crystalline waters of the cenote, which is so imposing that the Maya considered it the entrance to Xibalba, the Underworld in their cosmovision. The remains of two humans have been found in its interior dating from 10,000 years ago. It is known that the cenotes were used by the Maya as a sacred ceremonial center, precisely because they considered them to be the entrance to the world of the non-living.
It has a known depth of 121 meters, and only the most experienced dare to dive in its waters. However, it is only allowed to descend to 40 meters, since the dangers in its depths, which have been little explored, are not known with certainty.
What Is Inside Cenote El Pit?
At a descent of 10 meters, the freshwater of the cenote begins to mix with the salty currents of the Caribbean Sea, a phenomenon known as halocline. From this point on, the crystalline waters change, and visibility is gradually reduced. After 20 meters, you can see a light mist formed by hydrogen sulfide, but the surprising thing is that even at this depth, it is possible to admire branches of the vegetation that lives there, a reminder that life thrives regardless of the conditions.
The sulfur fog becomes denser as the descent progresses and creates the illusion of entering a completely unknown world. For safety reasons only certified divers are allowed to descend to 40 meters, although it is possible to cross this barrier, but only for the most experienced divers.
How Were Cenotes Formed?
65 million years ago a massive asteroid collided with the planet, exactly in what is known today as the Yucatan Peninsula. The collision caused the mass extinction of the dinosaurs, but also left a deep imprint on the geology of the place, giving way to the limestone on which the peninsula sits. Gradually the seawater filtered through the mangroves over millions of years and entered the limestone rock system in the subsoil, forming the ghost rivers we know today as cenotes.
This is how the cenotes were born, named after the Mayan word ‘dzonot’ which means ‘abyss.’ The Mayan people considered them sacred sites because they provided them with vital liquid and also because of the imposing abyss in the earth that they considered as a gateway to the underworld.
This story was written in Spanish by Alejandra Martínez in Ecoosfera
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