Hierve el Agua - a petrified miracle in Mexico (13 photos + 2 videos)

At one time, rock gardens were popular - interesting ways to decorate a space. And in Mexico, nature itself created something similar. Only much more grandiose and beautiful.





Hierve el Agua is a stone or frozen waterfall located 50 kilometers southeast of the city of Oaxaca in the southern part of the country.



The name translates as “boiling water.” And from a distance the place really looks like giant jets of steaming boiling liquid. But as you get closer, it becomes clear that there is no water here. But it is the water element that is involved in the creation of this colorful place.

But the stone streams were created not by a stormy mountain river, which amazes with its power, but by modest, hardworking underground streams, the waters of which are distinguished by a high level of minerals, in particular calcium. Millimeter by millimeter they settled in the rock, forming such an unusual rock painting for centuries.





Gradually, the mountain turned into an impromptu waterfall of stone streams. In fact, this splendor consists of travertine, a rock formed by calcium carbonate minerals.

There are two waterfalls here: the small Cascada Chica is a little more than 10 meters high, and its grandiose brother Cascada Grante exceeds the 90-meter mark.



Hot springs formed pools with healing water on the cliff, attracting the attention of tourists. What stands out from the background of other lakes is a special pool located at the edge of the cliff. The water is a soft turquoise due to its high calcium content, and the boundaries are almost invisible, making it one of the most popular photo backdrops on Hierve el Agua.