First of all, CC is known for having lots of endemic species, which means species that aren't found anywhere else in the world. It is also the only known place in the world where the original single-cell organisms can be found. They were found in a poza azul (blue pool) or sulfur spring. Thankfully, it was windy and the smell of sulfur wasn't terrible. The pools were beautiful (think Yellowstone sulfur springs). This picture does it no justice.
CC is in the middle of a desert. It hasn't rained here for over two years, yet there is still water. It rains on the mountaintops around the desert, and the runoff has formed a salt water river that runs through there. The water collects salt from the earth as it flows downhill. It is pretty miraculous to see a river running through a desert. And, the levels of the sulfur springs haven't changed, which is also pretty unbelievable. So, below, you have a salt water river, running through a desert.
Part of the desert is white sand. Again, I don't understand, but, all of a sudden, the desert just turned from what you see above, to white sand, full of salt. Some of it was so packed that it made formations, like the one we're standing on.
Lastly, back in town, our personal guide took us to her friend's house, who happens to sell dulces regionales, or regional sweets. She sold candy by the kilo, and weighed it in the old school metal scale sitting on the table. She was maybe the most welcoming woman I've ever met and I was giggling the whole time we were in there at how excitable she was. She was beside herself that she had 5 foreigners in her house. Also, as I'm sure you can tell, she is a beauty queen. In 1952 she was the Cuatro Cienegas Grape Festival Queen. CC has some of the oldest vineyards in Mexico, therefore, they have a Grape Festival.
All that to say, we saw a smorgasbord of landforms and habitats, and I felt like I was being warped from one place to another. It was like every type of desert, salt water, lush vineyard farmland (ground-watered), mountains and plains all merged to create one place.I LOVED IT!!
