Away from the life-giving rays of sunshine 这里远离给予生命的阳光
But in the darkness of the cave tunnels 但是在黑暗的洞穴通道内
so the Maya relied on the cenotes - the flooded entrances to the water-filled caves. 因此玛雅文化完全依赖于沼穴 ——地下水洞的入口
These flooded shafts are the region's only source of open fresh water. 这些水潭是整个地区 唯一的露天淡水资源
Since the last Ice Age they've become cut off from the outside world. 自从上一个冰川期以来 它们便已和外界隔绝
Yet their impact on life on the surface has been huge. 然而它们对地面上的生物 却有着极其深远的影响
500 years ago they supported one of the world's great civilisations 500年前 它们维系着 一个世界上最伟大的文明
But sometimes the formations in a cave stop growing altogether. 但有时洞穴内的这些活动会完全停止
the slow deposition of dissolved limestone. 都是由水溶碳酸钙缓慢沉淀而来