There literally must be something in the water on AnOther’s Love Stream at the moment. As Indian summer fades into a rather noncommittal autumn, the theme of exotic swimming pools in far-flung locations shows no sign of abating, with today’s most
There literally must be something in the water on AnOther’s Love Stream at the moment. As Indian summer fades into a rather noncommittal autumn, the theme of exotic swimming pools in far-flung locations shows no sign of abating, with today’s most loved a vast natural sinkhole on the Mexican coast, the Riviera Maya. While last week’s Cat-shaped Pool was representative of sculpted Hollywood glamour, this underground pool is an unfathomable act of tectonic movement and millennia of erosion, calling to mind the underwater idyll of Karl Lagerfeld’s SS12 Chanel collection, and resulting in a natural marvel that takes the breath away.
The formation of caves is known as speleogenesis, incorporating a number of chemical processes, erosion from water, tectonic forces, microorganisms, pressure, atmospheric influences, and even digging. Mexico’s South Caribbean coast is home to a number of superlative cave systems, including the Sistema Sac Actun, which is the longest underwater cave system in the world. This particular Cenote, or sinkhole, is one of many thousands of similar sites dotted along the Yucatán Peninsula coastline. Filled with warm crystal clear water, bathed in light from a source far above the surface and home to dramatic rock formations, stalactites and stalagmites, it is unsurprising that they were considered sacred by early Mayan peoples, with ancient civilisations believed to practice human sacrifice here, dispatching their victims into the well below. In some places they were also seen to represent the earthly entrance to the afterlife. Although now they are more likely to be filled with splashing tourists, in many cases Cenotes are so deep their bases have never been reached, with the ancient relics believed to lie there likely to remain untouched by human hand.
It was the urge for adventure that inspired our Lover of the week, Dazed and Confused’s photographic producer Lauren Ford to post this image. AnOther caught up with her to discuss faraway places and the ideal outfit for the journey...
What made you love this picture?
The fact that its a real place.
Where is the last place you went that took your breath away?
A ghost town in Nevada.
What unusual place would you most like to explore, who would you go with and what would you bring back as a memento?
This place! I'd go with my partner in crime and I'd bring back a trillion photos....and a pebble.
What is your ideal outfit for setting forth into the unknown?
Converse, my Levis I bought when i was 17 and my Slayer T-shirt!
What is the last thing you bought?
A wooly bobble hat from Stella McCartney.
Text by Tish Wrigley
