Ring of cenotes of Chicxulub Crater, Yucatan

After a delightful morning exploring the charming city of Izamal, our journey to Uxmal took us through the captivating Zona de Cenotes. This not only added another tick to our UNESCO travel list but also posed the enticing question: What better way to spend the afternoon than immersing ourselves in the tranquil embrace of a cenote? However, this enchanting opportunity came with the challenge of selecting the perfect one from the hundreds in the peninsula, with 99 specifically shortlisted for consideration.

To pinpoint the ideal cenote, I meticulously examined coordinates on the website using Google Maps, ensuring it catered to the needs of our adventurous souls while accommodating our three-year-old daughter. After extensive research, we settled on "Cenotes Hacienda Mucuyche" for several compelling reasons. The historical charm of the old plantation, the picturesque abandoned buildings available for exploration, and the chic, well-maintained landscape all contributed to our decision. The facility's amenities, including showers, toilets, changing cabins, and lockers, ensured a comfortable visit, while the restaurant offered delectable food and drinks at affordable prices.

The cenote itself was a marvel, featuring a visible sinkhole connected to an underground counterpart by a long, half-open, half-covered tunnel. The ambiance was enhanced by a small artificial waterfall, creating a soothing soundtrack. The covered sinkhole, well-illuminated and echoing with sounds, provided a unique experience. Our guide cautioned us to maintain absolute silence upon entering the cave, an instruction we adhered to until my daughter, in a moment of unexpected …

The cenotes were part of my plan but a lot of these are impossible to get to. Cenotes are everywhere in Yucatan, basically sinkholes, but there are only 99(?) as part of the Chicxulub crater which are supposed to be listed on some website but it doesn't work anymore. I had already given up on this until the second last day of the Yucatan trip until I met a French hitchhiker at Uxmal who actually mainly wanted a ride but was talking about "senoetes" and after some thinking I finally understood he was ALSO looking for the cenotes and he was told by a local guy at Uxmal where to find one! Now I don't know if it was part of the crater and will later be inscribed if ever but I was so happy to get to one in the end.

The cenote is called X'Batun and is 10 minutes off the main road. We tried to find another one as marked on the highway going the opposite way but after 5 minutes we gave up and figured it was indeed one of those that you would have to wade through the bush to discover. Anyhow, the X'Batun was open for visitors for a small fee and it includes two spots. The first one was large wide as pictured above and already had many people swimming in the cool water. With the temperatures so hot/warm this is the best place to dip and cool off. One actually doesn't …

Cenotes are sanctuaries, and the site qualifies to be a mixed one. Complementary sites could be included in the buffer zones, too. It's unfortunate though that other sites in several Tentative Lists have been removed, so it is understandable that the peresquites change. Increasing the list of delisted sites should be considered, and maybe even the option of broader transnational parameters. Of course, UNESCO has to allow for a broader debate, true to its Specialized agency status, but that shouldn't impede the inclusion of more adequate membership and even agents that remain truthful to their conditioned situation as citizens or ex profeso nature.