Research
Centro Investigador del Sistema Acuífero de Quintana Roo
A Mexican non-profit civil association (A.C.) of cave explorers that maps the underground rivers of Quintana Roo and supports research, education and conservation of the aquifer, its cenotes and their cultural heritage.
CINDAQ states that it facilitates research, promotes education and supports the conservation of the natural and cultural resources associated with the cenotes and underground rivers of Quintana Roo. Its stated vision is a regional model of sustainable tourism and development [1]. Its exploration page notes that exploration of the regional aquifer began in the mid-1980s and that more than 1,800 km of underwater passage has since been explored and mapped between Playa del Carmen and Chetumal, which it describes as only a fraction of what is thought to exist [2]. Its team has been particularly active in Sistema Ox Bel Ha and the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve [1].
The organisation presents exploration as the foundation for science and lists collaborations with the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (CONANP), the underwater archaeology branch of Mexico's national institute of anthropology and history (INAH-SAS), the UNESCO 2001 Convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage, the Hoyo Negro Project, Texas State University's Meadows Center and the volunteer Mexico Cave Exploration Project, among others [3]. In the QRSS long-cave list, the Ox Bel Ha length figure dated 2024-10 is credited to CINDAQ [4].
Further reading
A short history of underwater cave exploration: dated milestones
Archaeology and palaeontology in underwater caves
Conservation, landowners and responsible access
Groundwater, haloclines and water quality in flooded caves
How underwater caves are surveyed and studied
Threats to underwater caves today, and how they are protected
CINDAQ (Centro Investigador del Sistema Acuífero de Quintana Roo) ↗
CINDAQ Annual Report 2024 ↗
CINDAQ Annual Report 2025 ↗
Hoyo Negro Project ↗
Late Pleistocene Human Skeleton and mtDNA Link Paleoamericans and Modern Native Americans ↗
Long Underwater Caves in Quintana Roo (QRSS list) ↗
Los Cinco Cenotes: Our Year Exploring Ox Bel Ha ↗
Paleoindian ochre mines in the submerged caves of the Yucatán Peninsula, Quintana Roo, Mexico ↗
Review: The Yucatán Peninsula karst aquifer, Mexico ↗
Every fact on this page, with its source (3)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CINDAQ states that it facilitates research, promotes education and supports conservation of the natural and cultural resources of Quintana Roo's cenotes and underground rivers.Self-description. | Verified | [1] |
| CINDAQ says more than 1,800 km of underwater cave passage has been explored and mapped between Playa del Carmen and Chetumal since the mid-1980s.Undated organisation page; differs from the QRSS confirmed total of 1,736.7 km (2025-01), which counts only data reported to QRSS. | Reported | [2] |
| CINDAQ lists CONANP (Sian Ka'an), INAH-SAS, UNESCO's 2001 Convention, the Hoyo Negro Project and Texas State University among its scientific collaborators.Self-reported partnerships. | Verified | [3] |
Verified: stated by an official or primary source we opened. Reported: from a secondary source only. Sources conflict: the note gives both versions. May be out of date: the newest source we found is old.
Written in our own words from the sources above. Report a correction