We think we know darkness, peace, and silence, until one day we descend into the womb of the Earth.

In the first few seconds inside this underworld, your senses are heightened as a means of survival. You realize that your body has disappeared; you can't even see your hand, which is placed in front of your face. The only sound you perceive is the dripping of water that, over thousands of years, has slowly fallen to form the speleothems, as well as the flapping of bats hanging from the ceiling of the semi-flooded cave. Since they have a bad reputation, the alarm goes off in your brain, but you ignore it.

A master anthropologist once said that on planet Earth there are places that, due to their beauty, mystery, formation, or antiquity, are a kind of sacred sanctuary. And that upon reaching them, awakened people recognize them, perceive them, vibrate their energy, and, with respect, remain silent in gratitude for the magic and mystery. While other people, upon arriving at that sacred place, only take photos and leave, indifferent to the beauty.

I remembered these words from my teacher as I descended, along with three friends, equipped with life jackets, helmets, neoprene shoes, and a flashlight, into the depths of the Earth to find a living underground river, inside the Hacienda Wakax hotel, near Tulum, immersed in the jungle, which you are grateful to have discovered. The river, made up of kilometers of passageways, tunnels, cenotes, and semi-flooded caves with crystal-clear water, is a secret kept for two million years and which, a few years ago, a local man discovered part of it while chasing an iguana that had taken refuge in a hole.

Standing inside this wonder and listening to our guide, Gonzo, speak with such passion, you can't help but reverence the magnanimity and beauty of nature. It's impressive to see the slender roots of the trees below, filtering through and joining together through gaps in the limestone to absorb the water. "This river is just a small part of the world's largest underground river system, which gives life to the rainforest above ground. If the river level drops, the roots grow out until they touch the water, but if the level rises, the roots shrink so they don't become submerged and rot." I found the intelligence of life marvelous.

He shone his flashlight on the walls, pointing out snails and shells petrified by time, bats hanging from the ceiling, and giant stalactites and stalagmites, formed drop by drop. “Turn off your flashlights for a few minutes,” Gonzo tells us as we reach the highest cave. There, you realize the true meaning of the words: darkness and peace.

“Bats are vital to human survival, as they are the planet's primary pollinators; and they only eat fruit,” Gonzo told us to calm our minds. Listening to him, we exhaled and surrendered to the experience.

Within minutes of that absolute darkness, the mind completely silences and the concept of time disappears. Your existence as a physical body recedes into the background. Inside you, that invisible being that we are expands and merges with the total darkness to perceive absolute nothingness. This must be what eternity is like, I thought.

In that sacred sanctuary, I remembered with anguish the Mayan Train. I hope that those who build it will be mindful of preserving this national treasure of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Caring for the womb of the Earth is everyone's job.