Remote infinity pools, petrified waterfalls and a magnificent view of the Tlacolula Valley
This stunning geological formation is located in an isolated mountain region just a few hours from Oaxaca City. I've been there several times, riding over rough terrain in a small truck, and just learned the site has recently been closed indefinitely. The reason isn't Covid, but politics.
It's a magical spot and everyone wants to see it. Since the boom in tourism in Oaxaca over the last decade millions of pesos from entry fees have benefited some lucky people, mostly well-connected government officials and travel agencies it seems. The problem is the locals don't get a cut. The revenue sharing that was promised to the two indigenous communities who own the land never happened. So after years of disputes with government and the tourism industry, local landowners have now closed access to the site to all visitors, national and foreign.
They are demanding steps be taken to ensure sustainable ecotourism and conservation, as well as income sharing and investment in the largely impoverished local communities. A fair enough request, but Mexico has never been a land of fairness.
A recent study showed that much of the water at the site has been lost through deforestation and illegal aquifer use the authorities have closed their eyes to.
I hope the inhabitants of San Lorenza Albarradas and San Isidro Roaguia, mostly indigenous Zapotec people, are successful in conserving this area and will benefit from what has been theirs for millennia.
Waterfalls and boiling water?
The unusual rock formations, sometimes called "cascadas de sal" (salt waterfalls), never were waterfalls. They were formed by small springs over-saturated with calcium carbonate that gradually formed stalactites over thousands of years.
Although the water in the pools is not hot, the bubbling from the springs has given the area its name Hierve el Agua (The Water Boils).
We must have seemed like safe, parental types to this free spirit named Liana, who joined up with us for the afternoon. She had been travelling solo around Mexico and Latin Americal for two years and was volunteering for a few months in an orphanage in Oaxaca.
I miss travelling and I miss Oaxaca. Hope you enjoy these photos of Hierve el Agua which I took in 2016 in my favourite part of Mexico.
