Hierve el Agua is a spring high in the hills of Oaxaca. The water is high in calcium carbonate and other minerals, and the outflow of the springs runs through some pools and over a cliff, resulting in cascading travertine formations.
We arrived later in the day and got set up for the night. We took a quick look at the pools with the idea of going for a swim the next morning, when we would likely have the place to ourselves. We were a bit disappointed by the water in the pools; a bit slimy looking.
As it turned out it was cool when we got up the next morning, so the idea of a dip in the pools was even less attractive than it was the night before. Instead we hiked a trail that went down below the two sets of “falls”.
An interesting feature of the site was the ancient canals that the Zapotec people had built, as early as 2500 years ago, to use for irrigation.
I had read about Hierve de Agua before we came on this trip and had had a vision of us soaking in the pools above the travertine falls. So, that didn’t happen, but the hike down and around the falls made for a great day and we were both glad that we drove a bit out of our way to visit the area.