Grutas
de Garcia
Villa de
Garcia is a small town about 40 minutes drive to the northwest of
Monterrey. The caves known as Grutas de Garcia are about 9 km from the
town. As part of the social program of the ICME-11
conference, that Sakorn attended, we joined a day trip to the town and
the caves.
The scenery
around the caves is quite spectacular.
The
weathered limestone hills have been carved into a variety of shapes by
many centuries of weathering.
Yuccas
provided what was, for us, a very unusual landscape.
Sakorn poses
in front of a massive limestone hill.
A new cable
car has replaced the old funicular railway.
Here is the
entrance to the caves.
Inside is an
absolute wonderland.
As we moved
from chamber to chamber we were treated with views of a multitude of
different rock formations.
Nature's
artwork, created over many thousands of years, never ceases to amaze me.
Outside the
caves we see yuccas with a precarious toehold on the cliff edge.
This picture
shows the view from the cave entrance with the visitors centre and
carpark in the centre of the foreground.
In the
little town of Villa de Garcia two houses have been converted into
small museums. Sakorn stands in the walled courtyard of one
of these.
Here is an
interesting locally made ceramic piece.
Leatherwork
is a featured craft in Mexico. This beautiful saddle is a
fine example.
Here we
see Horse Saddle Mountain, which dominates the skyline in
Monterrey, from the other side.