"The White Canvas"

by Andrea Mariann Chávez Rodríguez (Mexico)

I didn't expect to find Mexico

As a biology student, I have had the chance of embarking on many expeditions to various places like mountains, marshes, beaches, and deserts. The great biodiversity in habitats that exists in Mexico makes possible to experience a variety of landscapes. Out of those trips, one of my favorites was about a year ago when we visited “Dunas de Yeso” in Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila. From the moment we reached the desert, it seemed like I was stepping into a surreal place. While the guide was explaining the formation of the dunes, I could only experience an immense sense of amazement since I solely viewed a vast sea of whiteness (with occasional sprouts of shrubs) as far as my sight could reach. Before granting us to explore, the guide warned us not to wander far from the meeting point, since they have had incidents of people fainting because of the heat. To avoid these incidents, we were asked to return in 15 minutes. I expected that once we started exploring the heat would be unbearable, but on the contrary, it wasn’t. The breeze was soothing, and I don’t know if my sweat evaporated as fast as it appeared, because I felt so refreshed. Then, as if the guide was watching my bewilderment, he briefed me that since the sand was so white, it didn’t heat up, therefore, I could walk barefoot. As soon as I stood there with my bare feet touching the cool sand, I had lost it. I started jogging towards a group of boulders and climbed them. If I was already going out of my mind with all the excitement and freedom I was feeling, when I reached the top of the highest boulder, I felt at a loss for words. Expanding miles away, I could only see the whiteness growing. The sensation was like looking at a big white canvas and I experienced a huge urge to find the cacophony in all this harmony. My mind couldn’t believe that before my eyes there was nothing but white, so I wanted to search for the end of the canvas, or just for a small stroke of color in this monochrome spectacle. As I was deciding to go deeper into the hugeness of this ivory desert, the guide started summoning us back. The designated time had passed, and we did should return. As soon as I walked back to the meeting spot, I started to sense why they won’t allow you to go further without the required equipment. I thought the fifteen minutes period would feel longer, however it passed in the blink of an eye. In my excitement, I failed to notice just how much I have dehydrated, I emptied a liter of water as soon as it reached my mouth. As I had a last look at the dunes, I reached a conclusion. The hugeness of all, the calmness & bareness and the lack of color, really sold the fact that the place has barely been touched by humans. It seemed as if the white landscape in front of me was tempting me to explore it, to dive into the depths of the desert and uncover what was hidden to the eye of the man. The pale color only accentuated the atmosphere of mystery and wonder, that this special place in the middle of nowhere had. It was truly astounding, like it belonged to a different world.