Asteroids, dinosaurs and cenotes.

The Chicxulub impactor, a large asteroid (10-15km in diameter), struck the Yucatan Peninsula 66 million years ago, triggering the extinction of the dinosaurs and creating the Chicxulub crater. The crater's rim is marked by a ring of cenotes, which are sinkholes formed as groundwater dissolved the limestone bedrock.

And the dinosaurs? The energy released from the impact would have been equivalent 100 trillion tons of TNT, more than a billion times the energy of any man-made bomb (for comparison, the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atom bombs were 15 and 20 Kilotons). This led to a chain of catastrophic events that led to the extinction of three-quarters of animal and plant species on the planet.

Cenotes are amazing, millions of years old, with fabulous stalactites and stalagmites, they can have their own eco system and fish, which is a bit weird and I'm not sure they are completely au fait with my no-touch water creatures/humans policy.

The Yucatan peninsula is basically a flat piece of limestone, which used to be a gigantic reef millions of years ago under the sea until the sea level dropped and it became land . The land mass is scattered with caves and sinkholes (cenotes), a vast network of fractures drains the rainwater from the surface into the underground river systems. I think I'm right is saying there aren't any rivers in this part of Mexico, they are all underground.

It’s very difficult to know the exact number of how many cenotes are out there in the Mexican jungle but there are over 7,000 cenotes, and over 2,200 have been registered. And at least 900 of these are considered to be a part of the ‘Ring of Cenotes’ located near the city of Merida and the edge of the meteor landing.

Now only gravity anomaly maps make the crater circle visible by enhancing the ring of cenotes surrounding it and the city of Merida is in the center of the crater.

The cenotes are really important for the Mayan and Aztec civilisations. Whilst cenotes were their main water source, they were also considered it to be the entrance to the Xibalba, the underworld, and a place where the Mayan gods would visit, especially Chaac, the Mayan god of rain, lightning, and thunder. Cenotes were so important that most temples and villages were built close by or, as recent discoveries prove, the Mayans built on top of cenotes, for example Chichen Itza. Locally around the cenotes, archaeologists have discovered 9000-year-old human bones as well as the bones of animals that walked the planet around the time of the ice age.

The impact of the asteroid altered the limestone sediments under the earth’s surface, making it more susceptible to erosion. This, mixed with the circulation of groundwater deflecting off the crater rim, creating a stronger current to wash through the weakened limestone, which over time a ‘Ring of Cenotes’ created.

Last time I visited Claudia we were really disappointed that we didn't get the chance to visit a cenote so it was high on our list of activities to do together.

We planned a day when we were both free and the children were all busy and headed to the Hacienda Mucuyché. We had our usual challenges of not quite going in the right direction at all times and not quite making every turning at the right point. Almost every time we travel together unless we are expending an enormous amount of energy on the map, we usually get distracted and have to re- route - thank you God for Goggle Maps!!! and when there isn't any internet coverage we drive until we have.

Hacienda Mucuyché is a derelict but beautiful ancient hacienda. At its hight in the 17th century it was once a thriving centre for cattle ranching, agriculture, and henequen production. Henequen is a fibre derived from a type of agave used for rope and strong yarn, ai was given a henequen belt on the plane home from Argentina. Henequen fell out of favour in the 19th Century with the invention of manmade fibres for rope.

Apart from the ruined hacienda, there is a tour of the henequen production, beautiful grounds and 2 of the most beautiful cenotes in the area, this is Claudia's accolade, having visited many of them , including the one opposite her hairdressers!

The hacienda grounds are landscaped beautifully with fountains and lawns and the vegetation is incredibly lush as it is fed by the mineral rich cenotes. One of the trees is enormous, towering over the farm and the roots are encased in stalactites underground in the cenote.

We had to have a proper shower before entering and also to wear life vests. The first is a semi-open with birds flying in and out nesting in the walls of the cenote. we were not allowed to touch the walls but just bob gently on the surface of the water or doggy paddle around. The water is incredible clear and bright blue. I though it would be really cold but it wasn't too bad, and with 40* outside its quite refreshing.

The steps down to cenote Carlota, the first open cenote named after the Empress Carlota of Mexico. She visited the hacienda in 1865 and was the first person to bathe in the cenote's waters.

the canal between the two cenotes

the canal from the surface/ garden area

After our dip in the first cenote we swam along a manmade canal with towering green walls and cascading waterfalls to the second, we had to leave the canal and walk through some tunnels to the second cenote which was underground and truly spectacular. The water is very energising and fresh and the colour is incredible - its hard to tell from the photos which is above and below the water. There was a current in this second cenote because if you stopped swimming you felt yourself being gradually drawn along. Our guide was really knowledgeable about the rock formations and the mineral deposits and the Stalactites and stalagmites were truly stupendous, the stalagmites must be the oldest as they must have been formed before the caves filled up with water.

Stalactites and stalagmites take approx 100 years to grow 1 cm

We treated ourselves to lunch in the restaurant. Claudia is an excellent menu orderer!! We then had to have a sleep by the side of the pool. For some reason they didn't have sun loungers but we were just so tired we lay down and slept like homeless people on the concrete. When we woke up we thought the lack of sun loungers could have been a hint!!