One of the most important things that you learn early on as a Rolex scholar is the need to be flexible and adaptable as your plans can change very quickly – fortunately often for the best. This was the case for my next project.

I had scheduled to spend some more time in the USA but when that fell through I found myself with three weeks free and no plans. However, this was soon to change as while in Wisconsin I had been working with Tamara Thompson a maritime archaeologist who suggested I contact a friend of hers who is the Professor of Underwater Archaeology at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán in Mexico. 

Before I knew it I was winging my way from the USA bound for a town called Merida on the Yucatan Peninsula to meet up with  Professor Guillermo “Memo” de Anda and help him out with his research.  For the last several years Memo has been investigating the archaeological remains of the Mayan people in cenotes (lime sink holes) throughout the Yucatan Peninsula.

 
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The Mayans were a very complex society which occupied the Yucatan region from around 4000 years ago and who have to their credit such amazing structures as the temples at Chichen Itza and who practised a range of sacrificial and funerary practices which involved the sacred cenotes.

The first thing that struck me when I arrived in Mexico was the sheer number of people and the humid heat, definitely a major contrast from autumn in Wisconsin! One thing I didn’t realise until I arrived in Merida was the fact that there are no above-ground rivers in the Yucatan instead all of the peninsula’s water runs underground and is accessible only where it comes to the surface in the form of cenotes and it was for this reason that wherever there are cenotes there are often the remains of Mayan buildings.

My introduction to cenote diving was more than I could have ever hoped for. After gearing up in the 40 degree heat and climbing down the seemingly endless ladder it was a relief to finally get into the water! As we descended I was struck by the amazing clarity of the water and it wasn’t long until I caught my breath as I caught sight of a pile of bones next to a fragmented pot.  

As we continued exploring the cenote more and more artefacts were found and each was in turn photographed and recorded from amongst the boulders and stalactites. Over the next week we dived 3 more cenotes around Merida each more amazing than the last.  However, the dive that is the most memorable was a night dive on Halloween where we dived a cenote into which a Mayan temple to the God of Death had collapsed.

As we entered the dark water our torches lit up the cavern and as we descended we began to see the crumbled remains of the temple amongst the rocks. When we reached around 30 metres Memo pointed his torch towards a pile of rubble and as I got closer I could make out the shape of a carved head. As we began to ascend I started looking amongst the rocks and found a number of human bones from Mayan sacrifices.

When we reached the surface I asked Memo about the carved head and he told me that it was the remains of a statue of the God of Death which definitely made for a memorable Halloween!

As well as cenotes the Mayans used dry caves for their ceremonies and funeral offerings and the day before I was due to leave Mexico I was fortunate enough to take part in an expedition to record such a cave.  On the Thursday three of us set off with our guide Jorge who is one of only 3 people in the world who knows the route through the cave and into the Mayan ceremonial chamber.  

As soon as we descended into the cave I began to realise what I had got myself in to as we climbed, squeezed, rappelled and slogged our way deep into the cave system until after 4 hours we finally arrived in the ceremonial chamber. As we spread out and explored the chamber Jorge called out and pointed us towards a Mayan pot which had been placed to collect rainwater for the Mayan ceremony over 3000 years ago.

The pot has been sitting there so long that a stalagmite had actually built up and over the pot showing just how long it had been sitting there. After recording the various artefacts in the chamber it was time to start the long slog back to the entrance unfortunately we were not the only ones who were heading for the outside world and we were accompanied by thousands of bats who thought nothing of flying into your hair and brushing past your face in the dark.

Eventually after 8 hours underground we covered the 3km return trip and made it out into the fresh night air exhausted but absolutely stoked.