In the final year of the 5,126-year Mayan calendar cycle, we bring you a very special expedition for six photographers into this land of hidden cenotes, stunning pre-Columbian cities, elegant haciendas, and abundant tropical life.
The Mexican state of Yucatán, on the west side of the peninsula, is a world apart from the more familiar tourist Mecca of Cancún. It is a wonderful, safe, and intriguing place, rich with human and geological history and overflowing with haunting beauty. Subtropical forest conceals beneath its roots a geological sponge of porous limestone. The Chicxulub impact crater, created by the asteroid that ended the age of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, filled with water that dissolved pockets and channels in the subterranean limestone around its periphery, creating myriad caves and underground rivers.
Whenever these caves and sinkholes open to the outside world, they are known as cenotes (seh-NÓH-tehs). The inspiration for countless Mayan legends, these crystal clear underground pools and grottoes will be a primary focus of this expedition, which will also feature pre-Columbian Mayan sites, elegant and updated 19th-century haciendas full of historic character, and the largest pink flamingo colony in the world at Celestún Biosphere Reserve.
Of the thousands of cenotes distributed across the Yucatán, some have wide-mouthed cave entrances, inviting the visitor to walk in to discover the fantastic subterranean grottoes they conceal. In the darkest cenotes, we’ll creatively illuminate the walls, stalagmites and stalactites, and other formations both above and below water, using lamps and strobes that we bring along. Others admit brilliant shafts of natural light that spotlight the blue water and reflect to illuminate the interior. Some cenotes are open-air sinkholes holding inviting pools of cool, clear water. Most are undeveloped and virtually impossible to find without the benefit of a knowledgeable local guide.
We have arranged for our friend Alfredo Medina to lead the way. Since 1992, Alfredo has lived in Quintana Roo on the peninsula’s east coast, where he owns a high-end printing business. He carried out extensive photographic coverage of Yucatecan cenotes for his beautiful book Cenotes: Imprints of Water and Light in the Jungle, published in 2008. Alfredo is also co-photographer for the book Birds of the Yucatán Peninsula (1997). Alfredo and his wife, Sara, serve as trustees for the non-profit conservation organization Amigos de Sian Ka’an, promoting conservation action on the Yucatan peninsula.
Jack Dykinga and Justin Black collaborated with Alfredo in October 2009, during a Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition (RAVE) in the Yucatan operated by the International League of Conservation Photographers, while Justin was the ILCP’s Executive Director. Guidance by Alfredo and his wife Sara was critical to our RAVE assignment, accessing beautiful cenotes off the tourist routes, known only to the friendly and gracious Mayan locals. Alfredo is a true gentleman explorer, a gifted photographer, and an absolute pleasure to work with.
In addition to several cenote excursions, our group will visit the pre-Columbian Mayan City of Uxmal, spectacularly situated in the Puuc hills south of Merida. Considered by many to be the most architecturally beautiful Mayan city, Uxmal was built between 600 and 900 A.D. Due to excellent construction, it is one of the few Mayan cities to remain sufficiently well-preserved to provide the modern visitor with a good sense of what the central ceremonial district would have been like at its peak. The pyramids, temples, hieroglyphs, mosaics, and sculptures here are sublime and full of mystery.
Another Mayan pyramid rises immediately behind the main house at Hacienda Itzincab-Cámara, our lodging for the first four nights of the expedition. “Itzincab,” as it is known locally, is a photographer’s dream in itself, with recently restored 19th-century architecture, lush tropical gardens, and excellent bird habitat. We were welcomed as guests at Itzincab during the ILCP RAVE and were singularly impressed by the hospitality of the staff, the comfort and elegance of the accommodations, and its exceptional suitability to serve as a workshop base. Read more about this special place below under “Accommodations.”
For our final two nights, we will relocate to Eco Paraiso near the estuary of Celestún Biosphere Reserve, where 30,000 pink flamingos gather in January each year to form the largest colony of the species to be found anywhere on Earth. Celestún is also host to over 300 other species of birds and many species of reptiles, including Morelet’s and American crocodiles, four sea turtle species, iguanas, land turtles, and boa constrictors.
Hacienda Itzincab-Cámara: nights of January 24-27 (Single-occupancy guest room)
Eco Paraiso: nights of January 28-29 (double-occupancy bungalow)
Our basecamp for the first four nights is the historic and recently restored Hacienda Itzincab-Cámara, about a half-hour drive from Merida. Built on an ancient Mayan site, the hacienda still boasts an imposing ancient pyramid at its heart. Its 14 bedrooms, distributed around the property in the main house and original hacienda buildings, are air conditioned and have private baths. Common areas include the living room, dining room, and study; patios and terraces; and gardens, featuring three swimming pools. This is an extremely hospitable estate with gorgeous architecture and well-appointed facilities, beautiful guest rooms, and staff including a valet assigned to our group. The kitchen at Itzincab serves gorgeous breakfasts and excellent, authentic Yucatecan cuisine, including local specialties sopa de lima, poc-chuc, and cochinita pibil, accompanied by fresh tropical fruits, salads, rice and black beans.
For our final two nights, we will transfer in our group vans to Eco Paraiso on the northwest coast of Yucatán near Celestún. EcoParaiso features spacious and attractively furnished double-occupancy bungalows with private veranda and sea view, as well as excellent dining.
The emphasis of this expedition is on fieldwork, and we will maximize our time spent photographing. Exploring the subterranean world of cenotes, we are freed from the limitations of the daily cycles of natural light, so we will spend mid-day hours photographing in cenotes during the first part of the trip. Working as a team, we will illuminate the interiors for one another, using hand-held artificial lighting, including underwater in the cenote pools. Cenote swims will be commonplace and are highly recommended though optional, so you may want to bring a scuba mask and snorkel (casual swims only – we won’t be doing any scuba diving). Our time at Celestún will feature coastal landscape and wildlife photography in the early morning and afternoon/evening hours and will include excursions by boat to photograph the lagoon and flamingo colony. Image edit and critiques will be carried out in the evenings.
A note on travel in the Yucatan:
Yucatán is distinct in many ways from the rest of Mexico. For those who have heard horror stories in the media about crime and violence south of the U.S. border, this is not at all the case here (nor is it the case in many other parts of Mexico for that matter). The Yucatecan capital of Merida is a charming and very safe city full of friendly people who are happy to help visitors, and the Maya people who inhabit the countryside are among the most hospitable and gracious folk you’ll ever meet.
Anecdotally, while I was attending the 9th World Wilderness Congress in Merida in November 2009, I accidentally left my wallet in a taxi. A pair of state police nearby noticed as I frantically searched my pockets and shoulder bag to no avail, and asked what had happened. The police immediately initiated a city-wide search for our cabbie. Back at our hotel, a crowd of police, cab drivers, and hotel staff on radios and cell phones were trying to track the guy down. About fifteen minutes later, he returned to the hotel. A passenger had found my wallet in the back seat and notified the driver. He was only too happy to return it, cash intact, and he wouldn’t accept a reward. – Justin Black
© 2023 VisionaryWild, LLC, All Rights Reserved
2200 19th St. NW, Ste 806, Washington, DC 20009
E-mail: info@visionarywild.com | Tel: 1-202-558-9596 (9am to 5pm, EST)
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions