The geological history of the Gulf of Mexico is about as violently eventful as Yucatan's human history. The remarkable network of 'cenotes' (underground water-filled cavities) played a mayor part in establishing the city states of the Mayas, who extended their 'empire' all the way to the Florida coast. A giant meteor crater testifies to its planet)scale impact, estimated to have darkened the sky for years, long enough for most plants and animal species to get extinct, including the dinosaurs.
—KGF Vissers