2007-03-22 |
The Ancient Past, Alive

We trekked into an alien world, our feet crunching into white gypsum sand that sparkled in the sun like ice. High winds pulled fine grains into the air and gave the landscape a dreamy appearance. Pillars of gypsum stood as lonely sentinels, trees embedded within them stretching out crooked black limbs to greet us.

Some of the larger mounds were similar to rocks in the desert southwest, with wind-carved stripes running across their smooth sides. The more intrepid members of our group scaled these heights and stood proudly at the peaks. As the sun started to set, the golden sky added an otherworldly glow to the haze and the wind started to freeze as well as bite. Later I would discover my face was covered in a fine layer of grit, and many of my fellow explorers sported sand-burned faces.

We were in Cuatro Cienegas, a butterfly-shaped valley in an ancient part of the Chihuahua desert of Mexico. The valley is surrounded by looming mountain ranges that are silent testament to the many contortions the region has undergone over millions of years and the still-active geothermal faults that lie beneath. In addition to the tall mountains and the unusual gypsum dunes, the arid region is speckled with a variety of spring-fed pools, or pozas, that vary in size, color, and species complexity.

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