Bacalar, often referred to as the Maldives of Mexico, is famous for Laguna Bacalar, the breathtaking Lagoon of Seven Colors. But what makes this freshwater ecosystem truly special isn’t just what we can see from the surface.
Beneath and around its clear water is an interconnected ecosystem shaped by groundwater, wetlands, mangroves, and microscopic communities of life. Some of the characteristics that make Bacalar so unusual are also what make it vulnerable.
Understanding what lives here is one of the first steps toward protecting it.
Why is Bacalar called the Lagoon of Seven Colors?
On a sunny day, Laguna Bacalar can shift from pale turquoise to brilliant blue and deep indigo.
Its different depths, limestone bottom, sunlight, and exceptionally clear water all contribute to the different shades we see across the lagoon.
Bacalar is also naturally low in nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus — a condition scientists call oligotrophic. These conditions help support the clear water we associate with Bacalar, but they also mean that introducing excess nutrients can disrupt the ecosystem’s natural balance.
And within this unusual environment lives something even more extraordinary.
Bacalar is home to an ancient kind of life
Along parts of the lagoon you’ll notice formations that look like rocks. But many of them aren’t simply rocks.
They’re microbialites — structures formed over time by complex communities of microorganisms interacting with minerals in the water. Stromatolites are a type of microbialite with layered structures, and ancient examples in the geological record provide evidence of some of Earth’s earliest ecosystems.
Bacalar is exceptional even among the relatively few places where large living microbialite systems exist today. Scientific research describes Laguna Bacalar as having the largest freshwater microbialite occurrences in the world, with formations extending for kilometers through parts of the lagoon.
But perhaps the most fascinating part is what we can’t see.
A microscopic world hiding in plain sight
What looks like a rock can actually support an entire microscopic community.
Photo provided by Jardin Microcosmico
Bacalar’s microbialites are associated with diverse microorganisms, including photosynthetic cyanobacteria, diatoms, algae, and many others. Together, these tiny organisms participate in the living communities associated with the structures we see around the lagoon.
Local organization Jardín Microcósmico is helping make this invisible world visible through microscopy, research, and environmental education. Their work allows us to see Bacalar from an entirely different perspective — not only as beautiful water, but as an ecosystem filled with life at a scale most of us would otherwise never notice.
When we understand that these formations are living communities rather than ordinary rocks, the reason for protecting them becomes much clearer.
Mangroves matter, too
The life surrounding the lagoon is just as important as what’s beneath its surface.
Mangroves and wetlands provide habitat for wildlife, stabilize shorelines, and play an important role in the movement and cycling of water and nutrients through the ecosystem. Research from ECOSUR on Bacalar's ecosystems explores the relationship between the lagoon, wetlands, vegetation, and surrounding environment.
This is one of the most important things to understand about Bacalar: the lagoon doesn’t exist in isolation.
It is connected to wetlands, groundwater, and a karst aquifer beneath the region. What happens on the surrounding land can eventually affect the water.
Wastewater, fertilizers, deforestation, development, and increasing human activity can all place pressure on this interconnected system.
Why protecting Bacalar’s water quality matters
Researchers studying Bacalar have documented changes in available forms of nitrogen and differences in microbial communities associated with areas experiencing greater human pressure.
Monitoring these changes over time is important because they can help us understand how human activity is affecting the lagoon and what may be needed to protect it.
The people working to understand and protect Bacalar
Protecting a place like Bacalar requires more than good intentions. It requires science, education, community participation, and people willing to keep showing up.
Agua Clara por Bacalar A.C. has monitored the lagoon’s water quality since 2016. Their citizen-monitoring program measures indicators including nutrients, E. coli, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, salinity, and temperature, helping track changes in the health of the lagoon over time.
Importantly, they make monitoring information available to the community, helping residents and visitors better understand what’s happening beneath that beautiful blue surface.
Together with educational and research efforts like Jardin Microcosmico, this local work helps turn a love for Bacalar into a deeper understanding of what we're actually protecting.
How can we help protect Bacalar?
You don’t have to be a scientist to make a difference. When thousands of people visit the same ecosystem, small individual choices add up.
Don’t touch or stand on microbialites. They are living structures, not rocks or platforms for photos.
Skip sunscreen before entering the lagoon. Local environmental guidance asks visitors not to enter the lagoon wearing sunscreen — including products marketed as biodegradable. Instead, use physical sun protection such as UPF clothing, hats and shade while you’re on or in the water.
Choose lower-impact ways to explore. Kayaking, paddleboarding and other non-motorized activities are beautiful ways to experience the lagoon while reducing some of the disturbance associated with motorized recreation.
Respect mangroves and wetlands. Don’t cut or damage vegetation, and avoid unnecessarily entering sensitive areas.
Leave as little behind as possible. Reduce single-use plastics, dispose of waste properly, and be conscious of what you introduce into the water.
Support the people protecting Bacalar. Learn from local conservation organizations, participate in citizen science, volunteer, donate, or simply help share accurate information with other visitors.
Protecting Bacalar doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it
This is something we believe deeply at Agua y Sol.
Conservation doesn’t have to mean separating people from nature. It can mean learning how to experience a place without loving it to death.
Paddle across the lagoon at sunrise. Swim in the clear water. Watch the colors change as the sun moves. Listen for wildlife along the mangroves. Spend time here.
But understand where you are.
Bacalar isn’t simply a beautiful backdrop for our vacations. It’s a living freshwater ecosystem — including entire communities of life we can’t even see.
Agua y Sol was born here because we wanted to find a better way to experience the lagoon while respecting the place that inspired us.
The more we learned about Bacalar, the clearer our purpose became:
Enjoy it. Learn from it. Protect what you love.