Grutas de García (Garcia Caves) is a cave complex located 9 km outside
García,
Nuevo León
Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...
in northern
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
about 30 km from
Monterrey
Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...
. The caves are inside
Sierra del Fraile
The Sierra del Fraile (Spanish for "Friar's range"), also known as "Cerro del Fraile", is a mountain and a protected area located in the García, Abasolo, Hidalgo, General Escobedo, El Carmen y Mina municipalities in the state of Nuevo León, ...
mountain and
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...
. The easiest way to reach the entrance to the caves is by taking a five-minute ride on the aerial tramway, but there is a steep path that can be taken to reach the caves.
History
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 Fray Juan Antonio de Sobrevilla discovered the caves during a casual excursion through the mountains.
Structure
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).
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).
See also
*
List of caves in Mexico
This is a list of caves in Mexico (not just archaeological):
Archaic era
* Guila Naquitz Cave (Oaxaca, c.8000-6700BC)
* Cueva de la Olla ( Chihuahua, c.5500 BC)
* Nogales Cave (Tamaulipas, c. 5000-3000 BC)
* Coxcatlan Cave (Tehuacan Valley, ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grutas de Garcia
Landforms of Nuevo León
Show caves in Mexico
Tourist attractions in Nuevo León
Caves of Mexico