The underwater wedding that transcended Yucatan history

The atmosphere was full of magic; a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience. All I could hear was the sound of my respirator, and still, in the silence all around me, I could feel such strong, such emotional, such special feelings, that for a moment I thought I wasn’t living in this world; that’s when the ceremony began. Though nobody could hear it, we knew that Angel and Ana were exchanging their wedding vows: “sharing air” with you means the closeness and trust between us; “exchanging lights” is a symbol of love as the light that will keep us together, and “following the lifeline” means that we will for the rest of our lives find a way out of our problems together, and enjoy many happy days throughout our existence”

That’s how Ana Beatriz Varguez Iuit and Angel Isaac Chan Tec personally tell us at mayantravel.net about this event, considered not only unique, but unprecedented in the history of Yucatan. “The ceremony took place in the Noh-mozon cenote, about 39km (24 miles) from Merida, in the village of Pixyah, within the Tecoh municipality. When we got there, we were overcome with a strange feeling, because although we’ve practiced diving for a long time, each time is different. ” We decided to represent our lives coming together through a symbolic act that makes perfect sense for us as marine biologists; in fact, it was when we were in University together that Ana and I (Angel Chan says) met; we’ve been diving since then, and we know how wonderful this experience is. Being underwater allows us to discover a world that’s completely different from the one we experience aboveground, and for a moment, we felt as we were living beyond this world.” “This experience was simply wonderful; I felt unique and the experience was transcendental, life-changing, unforgettable, exciting” but above all, emotional and romantic. We had an underwater dance, for approximately 5 minutes, and even though there was no music playing, we didn’t need it, because we both knew that’s where we wanted to be, next to each other; it was our moment, our experience: unique and once-in-a-lifetime. There was no need for words, it was all about love”

This is another sample of the diversity of our wonderful Yucatan Peninsula, full of life and color to inspire two people to join their lives in marriage, with a love that becomes so strong that it can transcend borders, continents and cultures, but above all, a love that can grow and encourage healthy, environmentally aware tourism practices that will surely be embraced and carried on by future generations. Watch video here

By: Carlos Varela