Thank you for joining me as I share more about my recent trip to Tulum, Mexico! The beauty of our Earth Mother humbles me and it is my honor to share these moments of my journey with you!
So....What is a Cenote?
Cenotes are natural swimming holes formed when limestone collapses, revealing a hidden pool of water. There are many different types of cenotes, but the two most common are described as above-ground or underground.
Many ancient temples were built on top of cenotes and cities built near or around them and they have played a vital role in the history of the Yucatan Peninsula and its people.
These natural wells were and still are considered sacred - they provide access to the vital water (or blood of the earth) that gives life and in traditional Mayan thought, they are also the entrance to the Underworld. The cenotes provide the fresh drinking water for the area and when visiting them, it is very important to be mindful of this and shower before entering as well as avoiding any personal care products especially sunscreen as they can damage the delicate eco system of the cenote.
The cenotes for the Maya culture are a symbol of duality as they represent life and death and as such when in a cenote you will discover a magical realm of the earth where light, dark, & water combine to create a magical experience!
These amazing caves are full of all kinds of magnificent limestone formations, stalactites, and columns. But it is the fact that they are flooded with rainwater which makes them so special: the color & clarity of the water is phenomenal, creating reflections, light effects, and a mystical feeling that I’m sure you will agree is completely amazing!
Cenotes are one of my absolute favorite places to experience when visiting Mexico!
If you have been to even just one, you’ll know what I mean! You must be a bit free spirited and adventurous as the waters can be a little chilly, there are fish and turtles, vines, sometimes bats and birds flying overhead, and many cenotes can have narrow passages with little room to squeeze through passageways!
Many visitors love them for the nourishing mineral filled waters that are purifying and naturally healing for body, mind, and spirit!
On our recent trip to Tulum, we visited 5 separate Cenotes on 3 different days, and I can’t wait to go back to experience more! There are hundreds of them in the Yucatan Peninsula so there will always be more to mindfully experience!
On this trip, we visited one via boat on our trip in Sian Kaan. This may sound unusual, as we didn’t actually get to swim in this one, but we were able to experience the convergence of an underground Cenote and the ocean where it intermingles and creates the brackish water of the Biosphere Lagoon. See my post about Sian Kaan here:
The second cenote, Ik Kil, is near Chichen Itza and this was my second time visiting this cenote. In this cenote you climb down steep stairs carved in the earth to reach the entry point for the water. Once in you are enveloped in an ancient sink hole with vines traversing the sides to meet the water and many different fish sharing the water with you. When looking up you have a view of the sky and it is a beautiful merging of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire energies! I feel a lot of minerals in this water and literally buzz when I get out from the purification and activation!
Our full day cenote tour took us to 3 unique cenotes and was such a sacred day! Our tour guide Pablo with Mexico Kan Tours was an amazing guide each step of the way!
First we visited Grand Cenote, followed by Jaquar Cenote and finally Cenote Santa Cruz in Akumal. Words cannot possibly express the beauty, energy, and feeling of coming home to the “Womb of Mother Earth” that we experienced.
I hope that this sharing inspires you to a new level of connection, respect and stewardship with our Earth Mother, her Sacred Waters, and all our Relations! If it calls to you, I hope that you too will visit these sacred sites as well! I leave you with another song by one of my favorite artists, Deya Dova, as she is singing in a cenote in Mexico!
Recommended Tour Guide:
Inspirational Music
Cenote Map Courtesy of The Tulum Times:
