Hi, nice to greet you. I’m Yael Yancelson and I’m very excited to be your guide and companion on this magical journey through the senses and imagination.

In this episode, we will get to know the so-called White City in the most important tourist center in the south of the Mexican Republic. With enviable colonial architecture, an extremely wide cultural offer, and authentic gastronomy, Mérida welcomes us with open arms, so let’s go!!!!

Located less than 50 km from the Gulf of Mexico in the northwestern part of the State of Yucatan, it borders Quintana Roo to the east, Campeche to the west and the Gulf of Mexico to the north. Yucatan has a very flat topography and is situated very close to sea level. Mérida was founded on January 6, 1542, and built on the Mayan city of Toh, which can be seen in the surroundings of its Plaza Grande, since its history, influence and culture were reflected in its architecture.

I recommend bringing fresh clothes and comfortable shoes since we will be walking a lot and the weather if you can feel it, is very warm all year round. It is very interesting to know that geological studies revealed that during the Cenozoic era, approximately 65 million years ago, the Yucatan Peninsula was submerged under the waters of the sea. For centuries the seabed received a large amount of plant and animal remains rich in calcium carbonate, its accumulation originated the type of soil characteristic of the entity, which is distinguished from the rest of the country by the predominance of calcareous or limestone rock. . The territory began to emerge due to the geological movements of the planet. The Yucatecan soil is still very young and has not developed such dense and abundant vegetation as other parts of the world, so the wear produced by the erosion of rainwater gave rise to countless channels through which the water flowed towards the sea. In this way, a network of underground rivers was created that diluted the bedrock to form a large number of cavities, when they are dry they are called caves and if they are flooded by subsoil water they are called cenotes, which we will go to later.

We continue sightseeing and we met Akbal, he is a native guide of the region, who takes us to see different cenotes and has mentioned that the word cenote is derived from the Mayan “Dzonot” which means a hole in the ground or well. As an entertaining story, he tells us that with the arrival of the Spanish, the word cenote began to be used to designate these deep cavities, typical exclusively of the Yucatan peninsula. They have a mythical meaning because it is said that the Mayans manifested a deep veneration towards nature since they considered that, thanks to its benevolence, they obtained all the resources they needed to live. Therefore, all the pre-Hispanic cities of the state were erected near a source that provided them with water throughout the year or at least at a certain time. The towns assigned each cenote a specific function, that is, the cenotes used for the practice of rituals could not be used for water supply and vice versa. The study of these has allowed us to find a large number of vestiges inside that gives us an idea of ​​the majesty of the religious ceremonies that were carried out at that time. Can you imagine those times?

Some cenotes have been enabled to function as spas, making them accessible to visitors, without forgetting that a large part of their attraction is the natural environment, WE WILL GO QUICKLY TO:

Chichen Itza-Also known as the Sacred Cenote, it is one of the most important that exist in the Yucatan Peninsula. It is located in the archeological zone of Chichen Itza, approximately 90 minutes from the City of Merida. Witness of great events, today it is the Sacred Cenote. See its magnificent nature and feel a mysterious air due to its history, can you appreciate it?

Then we arrived at the archeological zone of Dzibilchaltún located approximately 22 kilometers from the city of Mérida, where it shelters one of the most beautiful cenotes of the Yucatan peninsula. How beautiful its clean, transparent waters are, and did you know that it is the home of the weathervane fish.

Akbal takes us in his truck to a small cobblestone gap and feels fresh air in the Noc-Ac cenote, which is located one kilometer from the town of the same name. How about if we swim for a while? What a treat!!! I love refreshing water, do you like its temperature or does it feel a bit cold?

Finally, we make a stop in San Ignacio, which is 20 minutes from Mérida on the road to Campeche, in the town of Chocholá, where we will find this turquoise blue cenote inside a grotto, with artificial lighting, background music. and the safe and ideal conditions to swim in its transparent waters in case you wanted to continue doing it. The vault is about eight meters high, it has stalactite formations and you can enjoy the endemic species of Yucatan. The truth is that everything looks beautiful.

To end the evening we will walk through its green areas, restaurant, and palapas and I will tell you, that I found that the Foundation for Health in Yucatan is dedicated to improving the health conditions of patients with limited resources and in a very vulnerable state, something that is unfortunately very necessary in this region. If you are interested in learning more about his work, go to the following link http://funsayuc.org/index.html

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