The Cave of the Marbles

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN MEXICO

STANDING on a carpet of millions of cave “marbles,” an American speleologist, or cave explorer, could not help but exclaim, “Thank you, God, for giving me life to see this wonder!” He was visiting the Cave of the Marbles, a cave system in southeastern Mexico that measures 1,730 feet [529 m] in length and 56 feet [17 m] in depth. Inside, one can view awesome rock formations. Having heard of the cave, we wanted to see it for ourselves.

The cave is on a privately owned ranch, so we are fortunate to be acquainted with the owner’s wife. As we pass through an opening to the hallway of the marbles, we are able to see some 200 million calcite balls, or cave pearls. These cover the floor to a depth of up to five inches [12 cm] for approximately the next 160 feet [50 m]. No one can resist scooping up the pearls and letting the smallest ones​—as small as lentils—​slip through his fingers. The largest ones are the size of a small orange. Scraping the marbles apart to reach solid floor allows the curious to see that it is formed of evenly encrusted pearls.

How are cave pearls formed? Water vigorously drips into pools. This dripping precipitates calcite, which coats a piece of foreign matter, such as sand, bone fragments, or even soda straws. In this way, as more calcite is gradually added, a pearl is formed.

Although this cave has been known by locals for years, it is only recently that specialists from abroad, captivated by its great number of pearls, have visited it. At the present, efforts to research this outstanding cave and preserve it are under way.

Places such as the Cave of Marbles remind us of the words of Psalm 111:2: “The works of Jehovah are great, searched for on the part of all those delighting in them.”