Preparing the encounter
Every travel has the purpose of creating encounters. These encounters can be made with nature, with other people and their cultures, and with ourselves. Those of us who work in the tourism industry know that these deep encounters are the holy grail that we look for in each experience.
Freediving in Mexico, at the Zanka Open Zihuatanejo 2021
In the crystal-clear waters of the cenotes, a sport has found an ideal ambience, the freediving. This technique consists of performing immersions without scuba gear, thus the name freediving. There are two options to freediving, vertically or horizontally. Vertical, or Free immersion is performed in the ocean, and Dynamic, or horizontal immersion, in a swimming pool. Both categories require training with a certified AIDA instructor.
The portals to the Maya underworld
There is a close connection between caves and Maya ceremonial centers. Humankind emerged from the caves. The Myth of Creation in Mesoamerica relates that the origin of the first tribes were seven caves. Caves remained as shrines and adoration places. Indigenous cosmogony distributes existence in three levels, the sky and stars, the ground and people, and the underground and deities.
Xibalba and the Entrails of Earth
Xibalba is a Maya Word from the K’iche’ variant that is mentioned in the Popol Vuh saga. It is one of the regions in the otherworldly dimension located inside the caves. It represents a spiritual real of existence in the afterlife. Since from the dark labyrinths of caves there is no exit, it is natural to believe that the caves were the final resting place of the souls once they depart this dimension.
Sinkholes or Swines, the Ring of Cenotes succumbing to the industrial pig farms
The Geo-hydrologic State Reserve Ring of Cenotes is located spanning several counties in Yucatan state, in the area rear the Chicxulub crater. It was declared a Ramsar site in 2009, and as a Natural Protected Area in 2013. The meteor impact and the formation of the Ring of Cenotes are closely link, however millions of years divide them.
Paleotourism- Discovering the caves where Maya culture was born
When you plan an epic trip, unconventional journeys are the best choice. Here we will virtually adventure into the Mexican states that comprise the Maya land, and that overlap the geographical limits of the Yucatan Peninsula, to discover the first symbols of spiritual growth that detonated the evolution of a culture.
Speleotourism, Sustainability, Collaboration and Conscience
The Yucatan peninsula is not particularly famous for its caves, but it should be. Two of them stand out as the most extreme to visit; not for its difficult access, but for the display Mother Nature brings us there every day. One, is home to millions of bats that fly out at sunset to feed on insects; the other, hides dozens of snakes that hang from the top catching bats to feed themselves in total darkness.
Peeking into prehistory from within the ground
Speleo diving is a trip to the underground cosmos, one that exists without us knowing; gnawing the Yucatan peninsula from within; rain carving from above, the ocean caving from the sides.
Yucatán and the end of the world
Since 2012, the Yucatán peninsula, or its people the Maya, gained worldwide notoriety for pointing out in a calendar the imminent end of the World as we know it… or so we thought; but that is another story. However, Yucatan was there at an end of the world, that of the extinction of dinosaurs.
Advantages of traveling to less well-known destinations
Needless to say: The pandemic has come to transform our habits and customs. Mobility restrictions have put thousands of businesses in our country in high risk and many others have had to permanently close their operations. We know the negative effects and unfortunately, there is still a long way to go.