Return to: AMCS home page
Index to Cave Maps of Mexico
For the most recent release of the Index to Cave Maps of Mexico, please refer to https://cavelife.info/maps/.
The following information was current up through early 2019; it is being retained here because people might have legacy bookmarks or difficulties accessing replacement indexes due to security settings.
Index to Cave Maps of Mexico: Legacy Index
The maps are in alphabetical order within a state. You may manually scroll to find the cave name, or you may quickly search for a name within any of these indexes. Use ctrl-f, type a key part of the name, and enter. Example: Bustamante or Palmito (in Nuevo León). It will highlight all examples of the word. On mobile devices, use the “Find on Page” tool.
The old state map indexes will be replaced over time with new spreadsheet web pages that can be searched for any word or string, including a caver’s name. These new pages will be announced as they become ready. The word order in Spanish or any language no longer matters, as the caves will be alphabetized on the whole name and one can search for any part of the name. There are fields for MAP (cave or area map), LOCATION, MUNICIPIO, REGION, AREA, LENGTH, DEPTH, ELEVATION etc. So, one can find all the caves in a municipio, for instance. The word search works across all fields. The new CAVERS field includes all the known cavers who mapped the cave; search for a person’s last name usually. Most cavers have their first name spelled out. References to the published maps no longer are placed on the map image, but are provided in the REF field.
Some cave maps have insufficient or incorrect information in their title blocks. This especially applies to the municipio, which is like a USA county. These errors are being corrected over time with reference to the AMCS database in QGIS or WallsMap. Location coordinates have been obscured. The indexes omit words about sensitive features, such as cultural artifacts and fragile speleothems, but further notes are available to researchers on request. Note that some early maps were drafted in feet. The year that was placed at the bottom of the page is the year of publication, not the survey. See the CAVERS or MAP YEAR fields for survey dates.
When naming a cave, cavers are encouraged to use the traditional, local name, if there is one. Have respect for Mexico by using proper spelling and grammar in for names in Spanish or an indigenous language. Some English cave names that are well–known are retained as names of record. Corrected names will be included in the MAP field, and alternate names will be in the ALT NAMES field, even if misspelled or non-English variants.
New Map Format and Availabilty:
AMCS Bulletin 26 maps (2018): All 59 maps, including area maps, in the new spreadsheet format. The whole book can be downloaded at AMCS Bulletins; along with other publications for download or ordering.
In the following state files, "maps" are all versions of cave maps, "caves" are mapped caves including those within systems. A "system" includes two or more connected caves, or else whenever the word "Sistema" is in the name.
Coahuila Nuevo León Oaxaca Puebla San Luis Potosí Tamaulipas 150 maps, 137 caves, 0 systems 238 maps, 228 caves, 3 systems 543 maps, 344 caves, 8 systems 266 maps, 194 caves, 25 systems 522 maps, 389 caves, 2 systems 330 maps, 232 caves, 1 system Coming soon in the new format: Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Tabasco, Veracruz. We need volunteers to work on other states. Contact William R. Elliott at speodesmus@gmail.com.
Original Index to Cave Maps of Mexico, by Bill Mixon
Because of word order in Spanish, it is often difficult to decide how to alphabetize cave names. Look in all the likely places. Many cave maps have insufficient location information in their title blocks. This especially applies to the municipio, analogous to a county in the U.S. Attempts have been made to supply missing information with varying degrees of success and, no doubt, accuracy. Any coordinate locations that appeared on maps have been obscured. Note that the numbers on some early maps are in feet. The year at the bottom of the page is the year of the publication, not the survey.
Abbreviations:
Cen.
C.
Nac.
P.
Res.
Sist.
S.
Sum.Cenote
Cueva
Nacimiento
Pozo
Resumidero
Sistema
Sótano
Sumidero
Last updated: 2020/11/26