The Flotaing Islands of Zacatón

From Laputan Logic:
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In 1795, Félix María Calleja, viceroy of New Spain, wrote: “there is a large cave lit by natural skylight; and 200 varas from this cave there is a deep cavity that has a lake with an island.” The lake he was referring to was the Zacatón cenote which, in fact, contains fifteen islands. However this detail may have been overlooked by Calleja because he may not have realised that the islands actually move about quite freely upon the surface of the rock pool.

The islands are made from lush mats of reeds which, in the absence of any current in the water, are propelled solely by the power of the wind. They are roughly circular in shape and have steep sides from regularly bouncing off the sheer walls of the cenote (and off one another) . Their vary in size from 3 metres to 10 metres in diameter.

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