" The Water Boils," or does it?                       
  

In fact, the boiling water (Hierve el Agua) of this small town outside Oaxaca is a bit of a misnomer. The bubbles are formed by escaping air rather than heat (Hierve el Agua is actually a warm spring rather than a hot spring), but that doesn’t make this idyllic setting any less worth a visit.

Two hours outside of Oaxaca, located above the Mitla valley on a hilltop village called San Lorenzo Albarradas, lies one of the most unique rock formations in Southern Mexico. The road passes by El Tule, with its huge tree, the small archaeological sites of Dainzú, Lambityeco and Yagul, and close to Mitla and the weaving towns of Teotitlán del Valle and Santa Ana del Valle. So a day trip to Hierve el Agua can also include several other interesting sites. The route to Hierve el Agua also passes through the heart of Oaxaca's mezcal region.

Just about 2500 years ago, nomadic people found Hierve el Agua and its springs. The waters were easy to direct and it was used for irrigation through a network of canals that flowed through terraced crops over half a square kilometer. Wells were dug and constructed about every 12 feet along the canals by the ancient Zapotecs. Research dates the construction from between 450 B.C. to 1500 A.D. The calcium carbonate and magnesium content of the water was so high that the deposits have literally petrified the canals. Because of the high mineral content of the water, Archeologists still debate whether this was an irrigation system or a bathing spa, but they note that the Zapotec managers of the system employed techniques to remove plant-unfriendly boron from the water and used weep holes to prevent sodium buildup in the soil which strongly suggest they used the water for agriculture. The most impressive site at Hierve el Agua are the two white stone waterfalls. The flow of water has, over the years, left a nearly 100 feet high white deposit that seems to flow as if it were still liquid. The smaller fall, 40 feet tall, is still bathed by water from a warm pool at the top, large enough to swim in.

Even now, all these years later, the spring still produces two liters of water a second during the summer months. Yet year-round the water flows through the ancient canal system. Travelers arrive to this state park for sheer spectacle. There are only two such sites in the world, the second being in Turkey. Hierve el Agua is easily accessible providing you don’t mind a few truly bumpy kilometers at the end—an unpaved mountain road will lengthen your total travel time to about two hours and lead you to the town’s gated entrance (usually 20 peso admission).  A five-minute walk from the parking lot brings you to the two main attractions; the series of naturally-formed warm springs and a view of one of two petrified waterfalls in the world. If the view from the springs isn’t enough, there are trails that lead to the base of the “fall” and around it. If you get hungry while visiting Hierve el Agua, there are comedores on-site and there is a small restaurant about 100 meters away that serves a daily special. If you want to stay overnight, there are inexpensive one room bungalows nearby Hierve el Agua has been open and closed a few times in 2005 due to financial disputes among San Bartolo, San Isidro Roagui, and San Lorenzo Albarradas. The problem is entrance fees. They had been collected by San Lorrenzo Albarradas and natuarlly the other communities are insisting on receiving benefits from the tourism that passes through their communities to the park. During calmer times, about 150 people per day visited the state park and the number climbes to more than 400 during holidays. Well worth the time to visit if you are spending more than four or five nights in Oaxaca City.

Itinerary Suggestions: Combine your trip to Hierve el Agua with a visit to Mitla archeological site and the Tule tree. If time permits, stop in Teotitlan del Valle for mezcal tasting and weaving demonstration.

  MAP OF OAXACA CENTRAL VALLEY
  Major archeological sites in Oaxaca: Monte Albán, Mitla, Yagul, Dainzu, Mogote, and Zaachila.
  Craft villages in the central valleys of Oaxaca: Tottitlan del Valle (weaving), Atzompa (greeen pottery), Arazola (wood carving), San Bartolo Coyotepec (black pottery), Ocotlan (clay figures, woven baskets).
  OAXACA HOTELS: Hotel information and secure on-line reservations