简介：UnlikeothergreatcivilizationssuchastheRomansandtheAncientEgyptians,theMayanempiredidnotarisefromthebanksofamightyriver. MuchoftheMayanworldisinfactdevoidofeventhesmallestriverorlake.ThenwhydidtheypopulateYucatan?TheMayabelievedthatthefreshwaterpools,‘cenotes’,dottedacrosstheareaweresacredportalstotheunderworld. Theyareindeedportals,butrathertoanincredibleundergroundlabyrinthinesystemsofrivers.Onlynowbeingproperlyexploredandunderstood,thissecretworldwascreatedbynatureinauniquechainofdramaticevents. Underneaththejungle-cladMayantemplesofYucatanliesaworldevenmoremysterious,evenmoreincrediblethantheMayacouldhaveeverimagined. Awholefoodchainhasbeenfoundinthecenotesdeepestrecesses—over20speciesthathaveneverseenthelightofday.Someoftheundergroundcavernsarenottotallyfullofwater…incredibly,theyarehometothousandsofbats.…