Why go
The contrast between broad cave chambers and active river tunnels is the key to understanding Cacahuamilpa. The central gallery links spaces named for their formations, while the Chontalcoatlán and San Jerónimo rivers explain how underground water belongs to the wider landscape near Taxco.
The full story
The limestone around Cacahuamilpa formed beneath ancient seas before becoming part of the Sierra Madre del Sur. Water has since opened passages through that rock. Inside the main cavern system, chambers are separated by natural walls and connected by a central gallery, giving the underground landscape a sequence of enclosed and expansive spaces. Cacahuamilpa is described as a living cave because water still filters through it and mineral formations continue to grow. Names such as the Throne Salon and Cathedral Salon refer to shapes within those chambers. They are useful reminders to look at the forms rising from the floor as well as those hanging overhead. The Chontalcoatlán and San Jerónimo rivers occupy separate active tunnels. After returning to the surface, their waters join to form the Amacuazac, a tributary of the Balsas. The underground chambers and flowing rivers therefore tell related, but different, stories about water working through limestone.