Cacahuamilpa Grotto

This is a protected Natural Area located two and a half hours from Mexico City, within the Sierra Madre del Sur in the State of Guerrero. These regions used to be inhabited by Chontal tribes after the Olmecs, who used the caves for ceremonies and worshiping their gods. Their name, of Nahuatl origin, can be interpreted as “peanut land”.

The Cacahuamilpa Grotto was opened to the public in 1920 and elevated to the rank of National Park in 1936 by then President Lázaro Cárdenas del Río. This grotto is considered among the most impressive in the world and open to the public. Guided by experts, the tour goes through the first two kilometers and lasts two hours.

This national park hosts one of the most surprising cave and limestone formations in the world. They are the results of the tectonic activity and water, rich in carbon dioxide that has been penetrating it for centuries. When combining with other natural phenomena related to pressure and temperature, halls have formed covered by limestone formations hanging from the ceiling (stalactites) and coming up from the ground (stalagmites).

The predominating limestone in this park belongs to ancient ocean rmains and were formed from sediments in the water, creating the subterranean rivers Chontalcoatlán and San Jerónimo, 8 and 12 kilometers long, that when changing their course formed the caverns.

The stalactites and stalagmites often have strange resemblances, from which they take their name. Therefore, you can see (with a little imagination) the jewelry box, throne, cemetery, gate and cherubs.

In the surroundings you can practice rappel, rock climbing and rafting. At the site known as Dos Bocas, the Chontalcoatlán and San Jeronimo rivers pass directly underneath the grotto. The correct season for rafting on these rivers is from February to Aril, when there is no rain. The entrance to the rivers is located 5 kilometers from the grotto after a two hour walk on the hills.

The Cacahuamilpa Grotto is located on the border of Guerrero and Morelos sates, within the municipality of Tetipac in Guerrero, 30 kilometers from Taxco.

Artículo Producido por el Equipo Editorial Explorando México.
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