Spelunking Draws Tourists to Caverns in Mexican Gulf State of Veracruz GlobalPost
go to original January 27, 2015

Tourism promotion in the Zongolica Sierra and the exploration of the region's deep caverns in the Mexican Gulf state of Veracruz will be part of the National Speleology Congress from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2, organizers said.

The deepest cavern in the Zongolica region reaches 375 meters (1,230 feet) down in the Sotano de Tomasa Quiahua, a shaft named for a woman who fell in and whose remains were recovered years later by French explorers, according to local lore.

Zongolica is known as the "Himalaya of caverns" due to its challenging shafts, many of which have yet to be explored, Pedro Pablo Cruz Cano, of the organizing committee, told Efe.

Participants will study the Zongolica area in general, will discuss technical issues and examine the adoption of safety measures in caverns to have sustainable tourism and prevent impacts on phreatic mantles, he said.

"The goal is to show the general public the attraction caves have for visitors," Cruz said, referring to economic expectations in the region, one of Mexico's most marginalized areas.

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