Las Grutas- July 23, 2008

Las Grutas

Las Grutas- the cavern near Taxco was very beautiful. People are taken down into the cavern in groups every hour. It costs about 42 pesos ($4.20 US). We waited in line for the tour to start and there were women and children trying to sell us these very colorful necklaces made from acorns. The caps of the acorn were separated and used as a hat and skirt for a little girl pendant at the bottom. It is pretty cute. I was told by Estela Roman (curandera and our traditional medicine teacher) that the colorful necklaces were to please the nature that we were going to encounter inside the caves the “aires” (winds and energies that are within). When we receive pleasure from nature we are to express our thanks. But, one of the women that were selling the necklaces told me that they were for our pictures. Apparently, they take pictures of you in the caves, just like on the rides at Universal Studios. I didn’t actually know where the pictures were taken, but when we came out of the cave later, there they were hanging on the wall. I don’t know how much they were selling them for and there were so many, I didn’t even want to try and find myself in all the photos.

Estela explaining about the "aires"

Entering Las Grutas

When you first approach and enter the mouth of the cave it has a very strong odor. I was told that it is due to the bats, but I didn’t see any. Of course, we were there an hour or so before 12 pm so nap time for them. The vendors were just getting set up as we walked along the path to the cave and they seemed to have an assortment of stuff that we had all seen at the numerous “mercados” that we have been to. One vendor was setting up seed necklaces and rock carvings and behind her was a little animal in a tree that looked like a cross between a raccoon and a possum. It was kind of cute. When I started taking pictures of it and asking her what it was called, the vendor pulled out some bread and handed me some. She told me to feed it to the “tejon.” I walked up to the wall with the bread and the tejon grabbed it quickly from me and moved off a ways to eat it. Later, when I came out of the caves there was a larger one nearer the entrance that was approaching some children looking to see if they had any food. The woman then said that it was the mother of the other ones (there were more now in the tree behind her). I then fed it some of my granola bar and this one took it very gently.

So, on to the caves… Walking down into the caves, there is a man made stairway and walkway and the cave appeared to be very light, but as you look further down you can see the path disappear into darkness. There were many people standing down in the cave listening to the tour guide and you would think that it would seem crowded, but looking down at the large group of people and seeing how they were dwarfed by the vast expanse of the cavern just added to the feeling that this was the start of an amazing experience. Our group followed behind the tour group and then later passed it. I couldn’t understand much of what the tour guide was saying anyway, but it must have been funny because there was lots of laughter. As we walked there was lights that were turned on and off by the tour guide. I took lots of pictures and some of them even came out without a flash when the accent lights were on, but sometimes I was so far behind the tour that I was plunged into darkness at the flick of a switch. I had forgotten to bring a flashlight. There was enough light to just see the walkway from the lights further up as we wound up and down in the cave. The first time it happened it scared me a little, but when I stopped to concentrate on the walkway I realized that I could “hear” the cave. I could hear water dripping and just barely hear the wind as it came and went and I actually felt more comfortable there alone (sort of alone) in the dark than I had with the light and the crowd of people around. The only downfall is I couldn’t get that feeling on camera. I could still hear voices in front of me and it never actually went totally quiet, but as I focused on the cave and the sound and feel of it, I felt safe and relaxed. It was very nice. I would have been perfectly happy sitting there waiting for all the voices to fade away.

Anyway, I had to catch up with my group. I always seem to be last one and Estela had asked her brother to be responsible for being last and he always had to wait for me (Sorry, Pavel). When we passed up the tour group it became more difficult for me to take pictures. I have an older digital camera and in darker environments I have to sit really still. I would actually sit down and brace my arms so as to keep the camera from moving and to let enough light in to actually see the cave. But when I stopped to take a picture, the tour group would swallow me up. Then I would try to weave my way through the crowd to get back up to the front. The walkway became narrower and narrower and when the tour guide would stop to talk, I struggled to get through the crowd.

After we circled around and started heading back Estela had us all stop and regroup. She wanted us to focus on what this place really meant and how we fit into the natural and spiritual world. It was really quite nice sitting in silence and hearing the other voices in the caves fade away. It gave you a chance to listen to your surroundings, listen to your body and listen to your head as Estela was softly guiding us to really focus on nature and to appreciate this unique experience. I loved it. I could feel the expanse of the cavern that we were in and let my mind and body soar. Truly amazing! It was very comforting to know that God was out there allowing me to feel the power, the beauty and the comfort of this creation. After a few thoughts from the group we headed back. It was a little different than the walk in, being a little rushed, but it was still nice. I would love to come back. For more information on these caves: www.showcaves.com/english/mx/showcaves/Cacahuamilpa.html and for more pictures: www.walkerphotographix.com/Las_Grutas_de_Cacahuamilpa/.

Coming out into the light once more