Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Mexico: Cañon Sumidero

On our second day in San Cristobal we took a boat tour through Cañon Sumidero, only about 40 minutes away. 
The entrance to the canyon. Right around this corner we saw spider monkeys swinging in the big trees along the river. 
Mexico is applying this canyon for one of the Seven Wonders and it is a beautiful place. 
The boat went fast. 
At the highest point the walls tower 3,000 feet above the river which is 100 feet deep. The depth of the river is affected by the hydro-electric dam at the end of the canyon, the fourth dam on the Grijalva River. 
At one area on the river we entered a small cave, called 'The Cave of Colors' due to the mineral deposits and had this altar perched on a small outcropping. 
The sun felt so nice that day. 
"The Christmas Tree" is a giant moss-covered mineral formation. Water seeps out from the canyon walls carrying minerals that collect and form big 'branches'. 
Beautiful yellow flowers cover this mountain side. 
The water level on this tree demonstrates how the water fluctuates with the control of the dam. 
It's a croc! We saw a few, with their gnarly teeth, but this guy gave us the perfect photo opportunity sunning his nose.
The other end of the canyon and lake that was formed by the dam. 

1 comment:

Jennifer said...

wow. i've only been to Mexico once. i need to get back there:)