Underground Rivers in the Yucatan Peninsula | LDS Tours Cancun
The underground rivers are distinctive natural spaces found on the Yucatan Peninsula that were formed thanks to the calcareous soil of the region. The calcareous soil absorbs rainwater by storing it in the subsoil and creates the flooded caves that have attracted thousands of visitors every year.
The tropical jungle located in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is home to the longest underground river on Earth, with approximately 95 miles of it.
The underground rivers, also known as subterranean rivers, are connected to cenotes of the peninsula of Yucatan. It is worth to mention that Cenotes were considered sacred places for the Mayans where they used to perform rituals and ceremonies; many of them included the exchange of water during the ceremonies.
But how did the underground rivers initially form? The origin of these rivers and cenotes located on the Yucatan Peninsula is related to a meteorite that fell on the Earth 65 million years ago.
According to studies, the place where the meteorite struck was in the Caribbean Sea, near the Yucatan Peninsula. Scientists believe the impact was so strong that it left a crater of nearly 200 kilometers in diameter and caused several damages to the life of the planet. However, the geological alterations produced by the meteorite resulted in the union of underground caves, and the “ring of cenotes” was formed.
The ring of cenotes is the precursor to all the actual underground rivers, which means the Earth, after collapsing into the waters, formed cenotes, and rivers in a surreal underworld.
Some records show the Yucatan Peninsula has over 7 thousand cenotes, connected by underground rivers, 142 of which are accessible to the public.
Alma’s LDS Tours offers a great variety of tours where you can visit different cenotes and underground rivers. Learn more about the Mayan culture in Mexico with our team of professionals. Click here to view a full list of our tours.
Here is a list of our most popular tours that include cenotes and underground rivers:
