12MB PDF - Association for Mexican Cave Studies

proceeded to find 78 ticks on mybody. Twenty-three were attachedand I had to use my carbide lamp togive them an "assist" in exitingmy body. I actually got quite goodat this toward the last and hardlysinged my body hair.Author eating lunch at a roadside cave in Campeche.(Jim Pisarowicz)CenotesFrom a speleological viewpoint,the most interesting "caves" in theYucatan were the cenotes (Spanishcorruption of the Mayan "Tzonot").These features appear to be pondsof water on the surface, but theseponds are actually very deep andare essentially open entrances intothe Yucatan's subterranean watersystem.The most interesting cenote Isaw was Xlacah, located at the ruinsof Dzibichaltun just 20 kilometersnorth of Merida. This cenote isabout 20 meters wide and 40 meterslong. The long axis is orientedeast-west with the east end being14swampy and shallow while the westend is deep (40-50 meters). Thuswithin a relatively short distancethis "cave" drops down 45 meters.What is fascinating about this cenoteis that the water is so clearthat you can see the bottom at thedeep end.Swimming in this cenote is SOmethingof an experience. I dove intothe deep side and started to swimdown as far as I could go. Lookingoff to the west, underwater, was agaping borehole type passage dippingdown. I could only wish that Iwould be around when the Yucatanpeninsula gets drained. What a magnificentcave system it would yield.