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An immersive journey to witness a natural wonder--the underwater caves and cenotes of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, a destination very few divers have ever reached. Shining a light on the Underworld (or Xibalba, as the Mayans called the center of their culture and mythology), these stunning images transport us into a place that few cave divers can reach--a world accessed from cenotes, water-filled gateways to labyrinths of tunnels that create the longest underwater cave systems on the planet. Over several years and multiple diving expeditions, Martin Broen has captured more than 250 different cenotes and caves, diving through mazes of pitch-dark tunnels. Paired with images of startling otherworldly beauty, his engaging text guides readers through the depths of the mysterious Yucatán cenotes--from their formation and spectacular features to their time capsules of ancient fossils, from how cenotes were a source of life for ancient peoples to their critical environmental role today. With contributions based on their own experiences in cenotes by Alex Mustard and Paul Nicklen, this volume beckons divers, cavers, and armchair explorers to explore a uniquely dangerous yet beautiful and essential underwater world.
About the author
Martin BroenForeword by Paul Nicklen; Introduction by Alex Mustard
Summary
Ten Best Photography Books of 2024, Smithsonian Magazine
An immersive journey into a natural wonder—the underwater caves and cenotes of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, a destination very few divers have ever reached.
Shining a light into the “Underworld” (Xibalba, as the Maya called this sacred place), these stunning images from cave diver and award-winning photographer Martin Broen transport us into a secret and fascinating world accessed from cenotes, water-filled gateways to an infinite labyrinth of tunnels that create the longest underwater cave systems on the planet.
Over multiple expeditions and utilizing groundbreaking diving and photographic techniques, Broen has captured more than 250 different cenotes, their caves, and the dramatic secrets that lie within them, bringing photographs from his explorations back to the surface. Paired with images of startling otherworldly beauty, Broen’s engaging text guides readers through the unique features of the Yucatán cenotes: from dramatic sinkhole entrances to decorated underwater caverns filled with rainbow colors; from ancient time capsules that document the fossil record to the critical environmental role that cenotes play today.
With contributions from Alex Mustard and Paul Nicklen based on their own diving experiences, this volume beckons divers, cavers and armchair explorers into a uniquely dangerous yet beautiful and essential underwater world.
