Candelaria Caves

These are big caves in Guatemala.

A river flows deep inside them. The caves have many shapes. Some look like hanging rocks. Others look like stone drapes.

Holes in the roof let in light. Long ago, Mayan people used them. They made art on the walls. Some people think the caves lead to a dark world. Now, you can visit them too!

The Candelaria Caves are in Guatemala. They are a very large system of caves.

Inside, you can find many stone shapes. These are called speleothems. You might see stalactites that hang down. You might see stalagmites that grow up. There are also flowstone drapes. These look like stone curtains.

A river flows through the main part. The Candelaria River travels for 12.5 km inside. The whole cave system is about 80 km long. Some parts of the ceiling fell in. These are pit caves. They let light into the dark caves.

The Maya people used these caves long ago. They used them for ceremonies. They left pottery and paintings on the walls. Some stories say the caves are an entrance to the underworld. Today, the caves are a national park. The local Q'eqchi' people manage the tourism. They use the money to help their villages. You can visit the caves with a guide.

The Candelaria Caves are a huge natural cave system. They sit in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. This area is where the highlands meet the lowlands. The caves are located between Chisec and Raxruha. They are very famous for their unique shapes. People find the karst phenomena there very interesting.

Many stone shapes grow inside these dark caverns. These are called speleothems. You can see stalactites hanging from the ceiling. You can also find stalagmites growing on the floor. Some shapes are called stalagnates. You might see flowstone drapes that look like curtains.

Some parts of the ceiling collapsed long ago. These are called pit caves. They let light shine into the dark spaces.

The caves have a long history with the Maya. The Great Western Trade Route passed through this area. This path linked the Guatemalan highlands to the Petén lowlands. The K'iche' people have a story called the Popol Vuh. It says these caves are an entrance to the underworld. People used the caves for ceremonies long ago. They left pottery and paintings on the walls.

The cave system is very large. The main gallery is 22 km long. A river called the Candelaria River flows inside. This river travels for 12.5 km through the passage. The total length of all passages is about 80 km. This includes secondary and upper passages. It also includes parts called coulisses.

Today, the caves are a national park. The government of Guatemala declared this in 1999. The local Q'eqchi' people now manage the tourism. One group is the Association Maya Q'eqchi Development and Tourism of Candelaria-Camposanto. Another group is the association Bombilpek El Porvenir. Visitors pay a small fee to see the caves. This money helps the local villages grow. You must visit the caves with a guide.

The Candelaria Caves are a massive natural cave system located in Guatemala. They sit in the Alta Verapaz region. This area marks a transition between the highlands and the lowlands. The caves lie between the municipalities of Chisec and Raxruha. This system is famous for its unique karst phenomena. Karst refers to landscapes formed by the dissolving of soluble rocks like limestone. These caves are significant for both their geological beauty and their deep Mayan history.

Inside these vast caverns, many different types of speleothems grow. Speleothems are mineral deposits that form over long periods of time. You can find stalactites hanging from the cave ceilings. On the floor, you will see stalagmites rising upward. When these two shapes meet, they form a single structure called a stalagnate. You might also see flowstone drapes. These look like stone curtains hanging in the dark.

Light enters the cave system through specific openings. Some of these openings are pit caves. A pit cave is created when a section of the cave ceiling collapses. These collapses allow natural light to reach the dark interior. This light helps to illuminate the massive spaces inside the system.

The scale of the Candelaria Caves is truly enormous. The main gallery of the cave stretches for 22 km. Within this gallery, the Candelaria River flows through an underground passage. This river travels for 12.5 km inside the cave. If you include the secondary passages and the upper passages, the system is much larger. The total length of all passages, including the coulisses, is estimated at 80 km.

The caves hold great importance for the history of the Maya people. The Great Western Trade Route once passed through this specific area. This important path connected the Guatemalan highlands to the Petén lowlands. Archaeologists have found pottery artefacts and rupestral paintings in the caves. These items provide evidence that the caves were used for ancient ceremonies. The K'iche' people also have a spiritual connection to this place. Their sacred text, the Popol Vuh, describes the Candelaria Caves as an entrance to the underworld.

Today, the caves are protected as a national park. The government of Guatemala officially declared them a national park in 1999. While they are open to the public, they remain a place of cultural importance. Some of the caves are still used for Mayan celebrations today. This shows that the connection between the people and the caves continues.

Management of the caves is handled by the local Q'eqchi' people. After long battles with the government, they gained control of tourism. One group is the Association Maya Q'eqchi Development and Tourism of Candelaria-Camposanto. Other parts of the caves are managed by different Q'eqchi' communities. For example, the association Bombilpek El Porvenir manages several entrances. Visitors must pay a small fee to explore the caves with a guide. These funds are used to support the economic life of the local villages in an equitable way.