Grutas de García

The caves are thought to have formed between 50 and 60 million years ago. During the prehistoric era, the caves were submerged in sea water, and that is the reason marine fossils like sea shells and snail shells can be seen on the cave walls. Grutas de García remained hidden for thousands of years until 1843. Brothers Ignacio and Cornelio Marmolejo, discovered the caves during a casual excursion through the mountains, they went and notified a priest of a church in villa de Garcia then from there the priest was “known” for the discovery of las Grutas de Garcia [2]

The caves inside look like a rocky desert landscape with a longitude of 300 meters and 105 meters deep. From the entrance two different paths emerge descending 105 meters: one is about 2.5 kilometers and has 16 different chambers; the other is 1 kilometer long with 11 chambers. Like most caves these maintain a temperature around 18 °C (65 °F).[2]

Inside the caves impressive rock formations are observed that fill the space in the large chambers. There are many interesting stalagmites and stalactites. One of the most spectacular chambers is known as “El salón de la luz” (The Light Chamber) named because of the natural clarity of the rock on the ceiling allowing light from outside to filter through. “La octava maravilla” (The Eighth Wonder) is a formation in the cave where a stalagmite connected with a stalactite to form a column. “El salón del aire” (The Air Chamber) exhibits a balcony that is 40 meters high.

“El mirador de la mano”, is a stalagmite that formed a shape that resembles a human hand. There are numerous other fascinating formations as well, including “El Nacimiento” (The Nativity), “La Fuente Congelada” (The Frozen Fountain), "La Torre China” (The Chinese Tower), “El Teatro” (The Theatre), and “El Árbol de Navidad” (The Christmas Tree).

• List of caves in Mexico