Are there rivers, lakes and waterfalls in or around Yucatan: Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Merida, etc?
Alfonso Galindo - I Go Yucatan
In the state of Yucatan, there are no rivers or lakes. Instead, we have one of the biggest aquifers in the world and the largest underground river systems in the state of Yucatan. Quintana Roo, our neighbor on the Yucatan Peninsula, doesn’t have rivers, either. They have underground rivers and an aquifer and they do have some larger openings where there are some larger lagoons or lakes, all being fed from the underground system or the underground rivers. The only state in the...In the state of Yucatan, there are no rivers or lakes. Instead, we have one of the biggest aquifers in the world and the largest underground river systems in the state of Yucatan. Quintana Roo, our neighbor on the Yucatan Peninsula, doesn’t have rivers, either. They have underground rivers and an aquifer and they do have some larger openings where there are some larger lagoons or lakes, all being fed from the underground system or the underground rivers. The only state in the Yucatan Peninsula that has a river running through it, because they have a mountain range, is the state of Campeche. They do have a river there that runs from the hills down to the ocean.In the Yucatan, we have a very large aquifer system and underground river system. Cenotes are created when our underground caverns end up breaking or opening up at ground level. You may have some cenotes that are at ground level and some cenotes are deeper cavern systems with access to the underground river system that many people hear and see that they are quite beautiful. The Mayans have considered them sacred places for millennia. They consider it the entrance to the underworld and cenotes have a central place in their religion. There are over 4,000 known cenotes in Yucatan. We also have tourists that go and see them. They’re quite beautiful. Some local residents are lucky enough to have their own cenote on their own private property don’t want to share it.
Some cenotes can be no bigger than 4 by 4 feet and some cenotes can be 400 by 400 feet; they all vary in sizes, depth, color, and some are as clear as mirror – you can look down directly to the bottom and think that you’re only a few inches when you can be many, many feet deep. Some are dark blue, and some are turquoise. They run the gamut in characteristics; they’re quite beautiful.
(Steps in a Cenote, Yucatan, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted September 20, 2015
Thomas Lloyd - Top Mexico Real Estate
The Yucatan Peninsula is unique that there are hardly any rivers, streams, or creeks. There are many subterranean rivers in Yucatan. The Yucatan is famous for all of the caves and the cenotes, which are basically sinkholes with beautiful turquoise waters, which is so transparent that you can see the fish underneath right from the surface. The cenotes have become popular for scuba divers, who do a lot of underground cave exploration. There are even some amazing golf courses wrapped...The Yucatan Peninsula is unique that there are hardly any rivers, streams, or creeks. There are many subterranean rivers in Yucatan. The Yucatan is famous for all of the caves and the cenotes, which are basically sinkholes with beautiful turquoise waters, which is so transparent that you can see the fish underneath right from the surface. The cenotes have become popular for scuba divers, who do a lot of underground cave exploration. There are even some amazing golf courses wrapped around some of the cenotes. Over to the south of Quintana Roo, on the border of Belize, there is the Rio Hondo River but other than that, there aren’t any rivers down here in Yucatan. There are no waterfalls in Yucatan because there is no elevation. The peninsula is pretty flat. We have some of the world’s most beautiful beaches right here on Quintana Roo with white powdery sand and the turquoise blue Caribbean Sea.
(Clear waters of a cenote, Yucatan, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted April 25, 2016