A few months ago, an invitation from Antonio Holguín, Director of Tourism for the municipality of Jiménez, Chihuahua, appeared in the virtual forum of speleologists to explore this natural cavity that seemed to be very deep.
Without thinking twice, I traveled there and thus, I was already on a winding dirt road that advances in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert. It was more than three hours of walking between the plain and the cacti. If not for my guides, I would hardly have found the site. During the journey we had a long talk about caves and other natural sites in this region. In addition, it is always very pleasant to talk with the people of the places, who know their land very well, and like to share stories, legends, myths and other things. The desert has its fascination, not for nothing have I dedicated some years of my life to explore some of these areas, mainly in Chihuahua and Baja California.
Finally we arrive at the El Hundido ranch, located at the base of a small limestone mountain range. From it you have a great view of the desert plain. Just 300 meters from the ranch house, is the well. It was dusk when we arrived, but I was eager to see the chasm and I could not resist the temptation to look out, what I saw surprised me a lot.
Vertical abyss
It was of considerable depth. Its mouth, with a diameter of between 30 and 35 meters, opened between a series of horizontal calcareous strata that were lost in the darkness. It was awesome. But what caught my attention was to observe that at the edge of the well there was a large winch, moved by a powerful diesel engine, which allowed a comfortable metal basket to descend to the depths. Dr. Martínez, owner of the ranch, explained to me that such a descent system was built by his father, some 40 years before, since this region being one of the driest in Chihuahua, they always had problems with water, and it was difficult to maintain cattle or sow. As the bottom can be seen to have a large body of water in daylight, Mr. Martínez and others were encouraged to descend it to explore its possibilities of using the water. In doing so, they found that the vertical depth of the well was 185 meters, however, they achieved its descent and found that at its bottom the body of water is quite wide, with a diameter of approximately 80 meters and an unknown depth. This encouraged them to place a pipe to connect the bottom to the well head and a powerful pump to raise the water. After hard work they succeeded, and thus they were able to use the precious liquid.
In order to make the descent easier for maintenance work, they later adapted a 200-liter metal drum as a basket.
So when I arrived, I was faced with these surprises: desert cattle ranchers turned makeshift cavers.
The descent
Although I had my equipment and ropes to go down, I decided to use Dr. Martínez's system and I had a very peculiar descent. Lowering in the basket is certainly comfortable, and one can enjoy the breathtaking views of the abyss. The mouth, which originally measures 30 meters, gradually opens up, until at the bottom the diameter almost reaches a hundred meters. The basket reaches the only island in the body of water, which will be 5 or 6 meters in diameter, and is where the hydraulic pump is installed. The sunlight reaches the bottom dimly, but manages to illuminate the walls, giving somewhat ghostly visions.
It was Dr. Martínez who has accurately measured the depth of the well: 185 meters of absolute vertical, which makes it the deepest vertical abyss in Chihuahua and one of the deepest in northern Mexico, only two more: the cenote Zacatón, in Tamaulipas (vertical 329 meters), and the source of the Mante River, also in Tamaulipas. However, these are totally flooded.
It was a pleasant experience to come across this well. I will be back soon to make a detailed map and explore more around, as they promise other surprises. Meanwhile, I thank those who invited us, emphasizing the love they show their land, caring for these wonders and sharing them with those who appreciate them, including you, the readers of unknown Mexico.
How to get:
Jiménez is located 234 km southeast of the city of Chihuahua. To get there you must take highway No. 45 in a southeast direction, passing through the communities of Ciudad Delicias and Ciudad Camargo.
