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Day Trip: Tecoh Caves and Dzibilchaltun
By Gil Beyer
The other day my youngest daughter,
son-in-law and I decided to take a day trip from our comfy beachfront
rental and venture to Tecoh to see what that cave system had to
offer. It is a relatively short trip of some 25 minutes down highway
18 from Merida. When you get to Tecoh
you simply follow the main road through town and look for a large
black and white sign on your left directing you to the "gruta".
The gate lead us into what at first glance appeared to be a farmyard
with a few outbuildings. After parking the car we were met by our
guide - a Mayan gentlemen wearing white shirt, khaki pants and a
straw hat. He presented us with a map of the cave system in both
Spanish and English and a flashlight for each of us. He then led
us to the entrance.
Upon entering the cave we were struck by two facts - it was at least
10° F warmer in the cave and it was decidedly more humid. I've
been in caves from France to New Zealand and these are the first
ones I've ever been in where it was warmer than the aboveground
temperature.
Immediately inside the entrance there was a fairly large colony
of swallows. Their nests hung from much of the ceiling. According
to the map and the guide there are 13 cenotes within the mapped
portion of the system. There may well be more but it would take
some serious 'spelunking' and probably scuba gear to find out. My
little group only went in as far as the fifth cenote before it became
obvious that we were woefully over-dressed for the serious work
at hand.
There are several places where hands and knees are the primary mode
of travel. Other places require wading through the cenote. At 63
this is not the easiest way for me to travel. My son-in-law would
have delighted to follow the guide wherever he led, but then again
he thought it was fun to repel out of helicopters from two hundred
feet in the air when he was in the Army. I have some suggestions
for any one wanting to take this excursion:
• Wear clothes that can get dirty without
major heartache
• Bring a good strong flashlight that either is
fully-charged or has fresh batteries
• Be prepared to get wet at least to the waist
and have a towel either with you or at the car
• Keep a very close eye on the ceiling height and
watch for stalactites (they've been there for millennia
and don't move when your head encounters them)
I am sure that any one properly prepared
will enjoy a visit to the caves at Tecoh. One just needs to make
the appropriate preparations before going there. As always, one
should remember to take some water along - the added humidity in
the caves really draws on your reserves.
After Tecoh we decided to check out Dzibilchaltun
and its cenote - Xlacah (pronounced,
I believe, Shlah-kah). Dzibilchaltun is approximately half way between
Merida and Progreso and on our way
back to San Benito.
The cenote is located at
the western end of the site and is as clear a body of water you
will find anywhere. If it weren't for the information in the pamphlet
I would not have believed that it was over 45 meters (140 feet)
deep at one end. One only had to ignore the modern clothing worn
by the visitors around the cenote to imagine the ancient city dwellers
drawing their water and socializing on its banks.
Dzibilchaltun has the distinction
of having been well on the road to decline prior to the arrival
of the conquistadors, althought it was occupied for almost one hundred
years after the coming of the Spanish. Having been founded in approximately
500 B.C. it flourished from about 750 A.D. to sometime during the
11th or 12th century.
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Above: The Temple of the Seven Dolls at Dzibilchaltun.
The most notable feature to my mind is the Temple of the Dolls.
It is fairly clear that the Mayans had a firm grasp of the sun's
movements even early on. Annually, on the spring and fall equinox,
the rising sun appears in the center of the east-facing door of
the Temple of Dolls and shines out through the west-facing door.
Above: The Xlacah Cenote in a quiet moment.
There is one ledge
that appears to have been created for the sole purpose of making
the filling of your pots and ewers easy.
All in all it was an excellent way to end our 'day trip'. We were
tired but happy that we had gone on this adventure. We saw much
of the countryside between Progreso and Tecoh and got a better feel
for some of the smaller towns off the beaten path. There is no doubt
that there is much to see and do here in the Yucatan.
My time here is drawing to a close and I'm starting to regret only
being here one month. If you're one of those tourists that feels
they must fill every waking moment with sights or shopping you will
miss much of what makes the Yucatan so unique. Have a beer and enjoy
the botanas - each restaurant offers their own slightly different
varieties. I look forward to returning next year and enjoying the
sights and events I've missed during this stay.
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More interesting articles
 Cenotes, wonderful undeground caves.
The sacred Mayan Caves.
Dzibilchaltun Archaeological Site.
Transportation in the Yucatan.
Read more about day trips
Day Trip to Campeche and Edzna
Day Trip to Yucatan Alps
Day Trip to Celestun
Day Trip to Oxkintok & Calcehtok Caves
Day Trip to Cuzama
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