The Riviera Maya is one of the most charming destinations in Mexico. Get to know it!
I finally found the place. A group of people formed a circle to participate in a mayan ritual very important. The shaman was in charge of purifying tourists through prayers and copal smoke before entering the cenote, since each and every one of these are for the Mayans the door to the underworld, a portal where living beings can communicate with their mythical beings through rituals and offerings, so it is necessary to enter a more “pure state ”.
After this ceremony, we take action. A one meter by one meter hole in the floor was the entrance to the Cenote del Jaguar, named for the optical effect produced by the light that penetrates through its entrance into the total darkness of the cavern. With special equipment to rappel down, I descended 13 meters to the water, as cool as it was crystal clear. Going from the light world to the almost total darkness of the cenote is a strange experience. It is worth making a stop halfway to get used to the view and become aware that you are hanging in the middle of a large cavity, the base of which is water and there is only a large limestone vault above. Its enjoyable.
Already below, several tires floated to sit and enjoy such a majestic panorama. The bottom was about 30 meters more! With pure and crystalline water.
To get out there were two alternatives, the first and more adventurous consisted of climbing a wooden ladder to the surface (also secured by the harness). The other, more comfortable, is to be pulled by two or three Mayans who help each other with a system of pulleys known as: the "Mayan elevator".
With another short walk through the jungle, which never ceases to be a special experience, I reached another cenote, this one, unlike the previous one, was open and rather resembled a circular lagoon. This place is known as Cayman Cenote, for the animals that inhabit it. The vault was the intense blue of the sky and two zip lines of about 100 meters, crossing it from side to side. Flying over a cenote is also something unique (even more so knowing that it is populated by some alligators). With a harness and special equipment, I hooked myself to the cable and the jump into the void made the pulley begin to hum, I felt the air on my face and the water rushing under my feet. Suddenly, the dream of flying was interrupted by the brake that cushions the arrival, on the other side of the cenote.
To vary the mode of transportation and to make this truly a complete adventure, we got on a canoe to cross the lagoon to the community. I was glad to know that we were going straight to the dining room.
After hours of cooking underground, the traditional cochinita pibil was about to be dug up and served. Several women dressed in their typical hipil prepared corn tortillas and fresh hibiscus and tamarind water.
From the table you could see the lagoon. Before serving the food, another shaman stood in front of an altar decorated with plants, colored candles and copal to bless them. By the way, the cochinita had a special flavor that I had never tasted before, the meat was extremely tender. Delicious indeed.
The people of Pac-Chén always smiles. Could it be that they found the balance between their traditional system (of the cornfield, honey and coal) and a modern model of ecotourism, which provides them with a calm and happy life? Under this regime, they lead a self-sustaining community, far from the ball games and sacrifices of their ancestors, but close to a model that seems to be ideal in the face of a system that tends to incorporate them at the price of being uprooted from their culture.
shamanmayamayaspac-chenriviera maya
