Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park
| Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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| Location | Guerrero / Morelos, Mexico |
| Nearest city | Taxco, Guerrero |
| Coordinates | 18°40′11″N 99°30′36″W / 18.66962°N 99.50991°WCoordinates: 18°40′11″N 99°30′36″W / 18.66962°N 99.50991°W |
| Area | 1,600 hectares (4,000 acres) |
| Established | April 23, 1936 |
| Governing body | Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources |
The Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park in Guerrero, Mexico, is best known for the Grutas de Cacahuamilpa Caverns, which are one of the largest cave systems in the world. It is also home to the Grutas of Carlos Pacheco, a smaller system, as well as two subterranean rivers which have carved out tunnels in the rock. The park has extreme sports attractions such as rappelling, and rock climbing in Limontitla Canyon. as well as the two underground rivers to explore. It also has a small botanical garden, a pool and places to camp.
The park is located in the Sierra Madre del Sur, primarily in the northeast part of Guerrero state. This section of the Sierra Madre del Sur is made of rock, mostly limestone, that was formed under oceans millions of years ago. The caverns extend through the municipalities of Pilcaya, Tetipac and Taxco of Guerrero state, and extend into Morelos state in the municipality of Coatlán del Río. The parks extends over 2,700 hectares of land, and is located southwest of Mexico City, near the silversmithing town of Taxco.
This is the best-known cave system in Mexico, and the most popular for spelunking. The park is visited by about 350,000 people annually, generating an income of about 8 million pesos each year.
Cacahuamilpa is one of the largest cave systems in the world. It is a "live" cave system, meaning that groundwater still filters down into it, and that the formations there are still growing. Inside the cavern system are ninety large "salons" separated by large natural rock walls and connected to one another via a central gallery. However, only about twenty of these are fully explored and open to the public. Most of these salons are located under the Cerro de la Corona, a limestone mountain ridge.borehole openings. These salons average about forty meters wide, and vary in height from twenty to 81 meters. Most have names which reflect the major formations found in them such as the Goat Salon, the Throne Salon and the Cathedral Salon. All the openings numerous rock formations growing from both the ceiling and the floor. One of the drier salons has been dubbed the “Auditorium”. It has a large flat floor and has been outfitted with seats. It is rented out for events, and has been the site for a number of concerts including one in 2007 by Miguel Bosé and one by the Acapulco Philharmonic Orchestra in 2009.
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Wikipedia