Bacarlar, Mexico
Stromatolites the oldest species on the planet...
Meeting the Stromatolites
Back in 2018, I embarked on a seven-month journey across Central America, exploring Mexico, Costa Rica and El Salvador.
While in Tulum ME in March 2018, I stumbled upon Bacalar, a small town famous for its breathtaking lagoon. Everyone I talked to was raving about the "50 shades of blue" phenomenon in the lagoon, and I was intrigued. The more I learned about it, the more I felt the urge to visit it myself. Plus, I heard that Bacalar was less crowded than Tulum, so I decided to take a break from the bustling tourist scene and explore the area.
After leaving Tulum in the evening and facing some car trouble on the way, I was grateful for the amazing people of Mexico, who always seem to be ready to lend a helping hand. I arrived in Bacalar late at night, but I woke up early the next morning, eager to start exploring this enchanting town.
The following day, as I was strolling along the streets of Bacalar, I stumbled upon a cozy café, El Manati Bacalar, awesome local restaurant with great products from local designers. While there I noticed on their event board a great presentation about stromatolites. It was the first time I hear about it. It was a research project conducted by a Polish scientist named Kamila Chomicz, who had moved to Bacalar from Poland to the research the stromatolites for 3 years. She had an awesome presentation showcasing the importance and the fasctinating history of stromatolites as they are the first habitants of the planet dating for more than 3 Billion years.
Kamila's research project aimed to better understand the importance and the formation and evolution of stromatolites in the Bacalar lagoon, which was the perfect environment for this type of study. I was fascinated by the complexity and beauty of this ancient living organism.
Stromatolites are a type of reef that is unique and special. They are different from most present-day reefs because they are composed of microorganisms instead of coral. The characteristic feature of stromatolites is their layered internal structure. The word "stromatolite" comes from the Greek word meaning "layered rock."
They are an important source of information on the early development of life on Earth and possibly other planets. The photosynthetic activity of cyanobacteria, the most important group of stromatolite-forming microorganisms, generated the oxygen in our atmosphere. This oxygen allowed the evolution of higher forms of life, including humans!
Kamila works hard to bring awarness on how the excessive development around the lagoon is straining its health since Baccalr lacks the necessary infrastructure. Many developments have taken place without taking the lagoon's protection into account. With the support of those who love lagoons, Kamila carried out the lagoon project. She established the website www.lagunabacalar.net and coordinated numerous art exhibitions with the participation of scientists from the USA and Mexico.
She also created a documentary La Voz de la Laguna (The Voice Of The Lagoon) to highlight the dangers that stromatolites face and the significance of awareness in order to keep them preserved. You can learn more about it on this link. I also included the documentary cool poster below.
You can watch the preview of the documentary below
Documentary's Poster
