8MB PDF - Association for Mexican Cave Studies

(1420 meters long, 238 meters deep). Mostof these are single, steeply sloping passageswith numerous short drops. Somestill have leads remaining, and in factmost might repay further visits, becausethey seem to have been explored and mappedhastily. Numerous smaller caves and pitsare listed and pin-pointed on locationmaps.The text is not especially useful, andin fact parts of it were obviously notmeant to be taken seriously. It is oftenhard to relate the narrative to the cavemap, since pit depths, for instance, seldomseem to match. They remark several placesthat they think. they were welcomed by thelocal people because they were Brits andnot Americans. Curiously, Americans whowere in the area at the same time got theimpression that the local people were relievedthat they weren't more Brits.In addition to the expedition's originalexplorations, they visited some of thewell-known caves in the vicinity, such asSotano de Tlamaya, Sotano de Huitzmolotitla(which they call Huichihuayan), Golondrinas,and Guaguas (which they call Wowas--nowonder the editor wants to remain anonymous).They seem to have had a good time.Bill MixonTepeyollotli SMES Gaceta No.1.Ramon Espinasa P., Editor (?)June 1986, Mexico D.F., 13 pagesAvailable from AMeS, $2.00 postpaid.With this issue the Sociedad Mexicanade Exp10raciones Subterraneas inauguratesits second publication series. In contrastto the more monographical boled.n series,of which two have so far appeared, theGaceta is intended as a more timely, lessformal publication. It is smaller, photocopiedas opposed to offset printed, anddoes not contain photographs (so far). Thedot matrix type is quite legible, andnumerous cave maps are presented. Englishsummaries are included for the major articles.The issue begins with a summary ofexplorations in the San Juan Tenerlas areain Guerrero, also covered in AMCS ActivitiesNewsletter No. 15. There is a reviewof recent biospeleological work by SMEScavers in Guerrero which includes the discoveryof a population of the cave fishAstyanax, previously known only from theSierra de EI Abra in northern Mexico. The1985 explorations at Plaza de Gallos, Guerrero,are covered. These resulted in theexploration of Hoyo de la Perrita Capulina(-230 meters, now connected to Resumiderode Plaza de Gallos,) Sistema la Lorna (-96meters), Hoyo de la Mano del Leon (-92meters), and various other caves and pits.Elsewhere in Guerrero, Resumidero del Izotewas mapped to 1567 meters in length and 177meters in depth (see Mexico News). Cueva delas Pozas Azules, a possible resurgence forIzote, was explored about I kilometer upstreamto a waterfall climb.In Yucatan, more than fifty caves wereinvestigated by SMES members, mostly cenotes.In March 1986, SMES and Italian caverslocated 6 caves in the Papagayos, SLP area.The longest was 100 meters, and the deepestwas 25 meters. Afterwartls they went southto the Huacalapan area in Guerrero, wherethey explored Sotano de las Guacamayas(-283 meters), which had a 94 meter drop,and Resumidero de Ixtemalco (-265 meters).Two highly decorated caves, Gruta de Huacalapanand Gruta de las Golondrinas, werealso found.Tepeyollotli is a welcome addition tothe literature of Mexican Speleology, andshould be very effective in increasinginternational communication regarding activitiesby Mexican cavers. While cavingpublications in Mexico often seem to beshort-lived, let's hope this one has a longrun.Peter SprouseYochib: The River Cave. C. WilliamSteele. Cave Books, 756 Harvard Ave.,St. Louis, MO, .63130; 1985. 164 pp.Available from several sources; AMeShas it for $11.50 softbound - $16.50hardbound, postpaid.It is nine years late, yet right ontime. It is the full story of the explorationof the Sumidero Yochib, a spectacularriver cave in the southern Mexican state ofChiapas. In the passing of those nineyears since the last expedition to Yochib,101