The Cascadas de Agua Azul (
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
for "Blue Water waterfall") are a series of
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...
s found on the
Xanil River in the southern
Mexican state of
Chiapas. They are located in the Municipality of
Tumbalá, from
Palenque
Palenque (; Yucatec Maya: ), also anciently known in the Itza Language as Lakamhaʼ ("Big Water or Big Waters"), was a Maya city state in southern Mexico that perished in the 8th century. The Palenque ruins date from ca. 226 BC to ca. 799 AD. ...
, near
Mexican Federal Highway 199.
These waterfalls consists of many cataracts following one after another, taken from near the top of the sequence of cascades. The larger cataracts may be as high as 6 meters (20 feet) or so. During much of the distance the water descends in two streams, with small islands in the middle.
The water has a high content of
calcium carbonate and other minerals, and where it falls on rocks or fallen trees, it encases them in a thick shell-like coating of limestone.
The area was designated a
flora and fauna protection area in 2000 by the Mexican government. The protected area covers 25.8 km
2.
Local residents reportedly restored the waterfalls after the
2017 Chiapas earthquake has created a
crack and led to a temporary reduction of the water flow over the falls.
Gallery
AguaAzulMexico3.jpg, The series of Agua Azul cascades seen from the top
AguaAzulCalcifiedTree.jpg, Trees in different stages of calcification
Vista del río Xanil en Agua Azul.jpg, Xanil River basin
AguaAzul.jpg
References
External links
Landforms of Chiapas
Waterfalls of Mexico
Tourism in Mexico
Tourist attractions in Chiapas
Tiered waterfalls
Flora and fauna protection areas of Mexico
Protected areas of Chiapas
Karst formations of Mexico
Petén–Veracruz moist forests
Chiapas Highlands
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