Sumidero Canyon, Mexico

In southern México in the Mexican state of Chiapas is the National Park "Cañón del Sumidero. Inside the park is a narrow and deep canyon called Cañón del Sumidero, for which the park is also named. It is one of Chiapas' most popular tourist attractions. The canyon has vertical walls that can be as high as 1,000 meters at some points. A river also flows through the 13-kilometer-long canyon.

• A non-touristy town that connects people to the beautiful park. Tuxtla Gutiérrez is the entrance to Chiapas as well as to México's piece of natural beauty.
• The narrow, deep canyon in México National Park has peaks as high as one kilometer.
• A stalactite that looks like a seahorse and a colored cave: Sumidero Canyon has been nominated one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

Surrounding the canyon is the México National Park, which covers nearly 22 acres of land with pure nature. Adjacent to the park is the Mexican state's largest city, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, which after arriving in Chiapas makes you feel immediately connected to its natural beauty. The Mexican state of Chiapas has only one city, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, and this is the most developed, populous and therefore most important municipality in the state. Unlike many other areas, the city is not a tourist attraction, but primarily an important place that offers tourists access to the state. With a major airport and bus terminal, Tuxtla Gutiérrez is the entrance to Chiapas

Sumidero Canyon was formed by cracks in the earth's crust and erosion from the Grijalva River, which still flows through it. This process began about 35 million years ago; this makes the Sumidero Canyon the sister of the American Grand Canyon near the Colorado River. The Grijalva River begins in Guatemala, then flows on to Chiapas, through the 13-kilometer-long canyon, and finally empties into the Usumacinta River. In addition to the Grijalva River, the Cañón del Sumidero México Natural Park has other streams, many of which are seasonal. Some consist of waterfalls on the sides of the canyon and underground currents, which have created caves. The canyon itself is narrow but deep and is characterized by vertical walls between 200 and 700 meters high, but with peaks as high as 1,000 meters. The width of the canyon ranges from one to two kilometers.

One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World

The national park in México was nominated one of the seven natural wonders of the world in 2009. This is due in part to the canyon, which possesses many wonderful natural wonders. For example, the canyon has as many as thirty rapids, five waterfalls, three beaches, two freshwater springs and is the habitat for endangered species such as the Central American river turtle and the American crocodile, which, by the way, you can spot on the banks. The canyon walls contain small caves, rock formations and other striking natural beauty. One of the most famous caves of the area is the "Cueva de Colores" (Cave of the Colors). This cave gets its name from the natural filtration of magnesium, potassium and other minerals, which form beautiful colors on the walls. There is also a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe, usually surrounded by flowers and burning candles placed there by visitors. The "Cueva de Silencio" (Cave of Silence) gets its name from the fact that no echo or any other form of resonance is formed there. In another small cave there is a very special dripstone called 'Caballito de Mar' (Seahorse). The dripstone is so named because it looks like a seahorse.