Kantunil’s Best Tourist Attraction — The ‘Rabbit Cenote’
The town of Kantunil is celebrated for being the home of the Tu’ul Cenote, aka the Rabbit Cenote. Tu’ul Cenote, which has long been enjoyed mainly by area residents, was recently treated to much-needed cleaning and repairs, making the experience even better than previously.
With the improvements, locals have seen visitors from surrounding communities and abroad begin to visit their town and cenote in larger numbers. The cenote, whose Yucatec-Mayan name means “rabbit,” is said to be extremely important to the community’s identity as it draws a direct link to its past.
The Rabbit Cenote is a Must-visit Kantunil Attraction
Kantunil is 65 kilometers from Mérida, roughly halfway to Chichén Itzá, and can be easily reached on the Mérida-Cancún highway.
Although no archaeological sites open to the public exist in the municipality, those with a keen eye will notice conspicuous mounds dotting its otherwise entirely flat landscape.
Yucatán’s cenotes attract large amounts of visitors every year for swimming, diving, and even the occasional underwater wedding.
But with all of this activity also come problems such as pollution and the looting of ancient artifacts.
There is no precise count of exactly how many cenotes exist in the state of Yucatán, but even the most conservative estimates place the number somewhere around 7,000.
Cenotes can even be found well within Mérida’s city limits on the grounds of schools, private homes, and even in the parking lot of the local Costco.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a journalist, photographer and adventure leader. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada, and Norway.
