One of the hidden rewards of cave exploration in Mexico is the accidental discovery of gorgeous rivers, canyons, hot springs, waterfalls or other natural phenomena on the way to or from a cave.
On some occasions, these may turn out to be a miserable hole in the ground with no redeeming merit whatsoever, but to stumble by chance upon a jewel of natural beauty, as well as a cave of great interest, is luck indeed. Such good fortune happened recently to Mexico City geologist Ramon Espinasa, the founder of the Mexican Society for Underground Exploration or SMES. Espinasa is especially interested in lava tubes, caves naturally formed when the surface of moving lava cools, allowing hot, molten lava to flow out from underneath it, leaving an underground tunnel or room.
Because the state of Veracruz is home to some of Mexico’s best lava tubes, Espinasa is ever on the lookout for rumors of caves in that state. “That’s how I came upon a YouTube video presenting a spectacular waterfall in Veracruz, located just outside a cave entrance,” he says. “Fortunately, the vlogger also included footage inside the cave, which I immediately realized was volcanic, but not a lava tube. It looked most interesting.”
Please login or subscribe to view the complete article.