We left Oaxaca on a highway known as the mescal trail and drove past several fields of agave and many small shops selling Mescal made right on site.  Some were still using stone wheels about 5 feet in diameter powered by a horse. The wheel is dragged around in an endless circle running over the agave to make a mash, which is then made into Mezcal. We considered stopping at one to buy some Mezcal, but the sample we had had in Oaxaca didn’t really appeal to either of us so we decided to keep driving to our destination for the night, Hierve el Agua.

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.

The view from our camping spot for the night.

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”.

Views through the valleys.

The pools and the “falls” below.

The view from below.

Piper in a cave formed by an eroded travertine formation.

View from the top of the second, less developed set of pools.

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.

Ancient irrigation canal system.

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.