Agua Azul

{{Short description|Cataracts on the Xanil River in Chiapas, Mexico}}

{{Infobox waterfall

| alt_name =

| photo = VODOPADI.jpg

| photo_caption =

| location = Tumbalá, Chiapas, Mexico

| map = Mexico

| relief = 1

| map_caption = Location in Mexico

| coordinates = {{coord|17.255704|N|92.115951|W|type:waterbody_scale:50000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| type =

| height =

| height_longest = {{convert|6|m|ft|abbr=on}}

| number_drops = Various

| average_flow =

| watercourse = Agua Azul river → Río Shumula → Río Tulijá → Río Chilapa → Río Grijalva{{cite web|url=http://www.chiapas.gob.mx/media/gobierno/gobierno-municipales/pdf/077.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2016-03-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313192100/http://www.chiapas.gob.mx/media/gobierno/gobierno-municipales/pdf/077.pdf |archivedate=2016-03-13 }}

| world_rank =

}}

The Cascadas de Agua Azul (Spanish for "Blue Water waterfall") are a series of waterfalls found on the Xanil River in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. They are located in the Municipality of Tumbalá, {{convert|69|km}} from Palenque, near Mexican Federal Highway 199.

These waterfalls consists of many cataracts following one after another, taken from near the top of the sequence of cascades. The larger cataracts may be as high as 6 meters (20 feet) or so. During much of the distance the water descends in two streams, with small islands in the middle.

The water has a high content of calcium carbonate and other minerals, and where it falls on rocks or fallen trees, it encases them in a thick shell-like coating of limestone.{{cite web |author= WorldTopTop.com |url= http://worldtoptop.com/cascadas-de-agua-azul/ |title= Cascadas de Agua Azul – Top Waterfalls in the World |publisher=BBC |accessdate= November 18, 2017}}

The area was designated a flora and fauna protection area in 2000 by the Mexican government. The protected area covers 25.8 km².UNEP-WCMC (2021). Protected Area Profile for Cascada de Agua Azul from the World Database of Protected Areas. Accessed 29 September 2021. [https://www.protectedplanet.net/306782]

Local residents reportedly restored the waterfalls{{cite web |author=BBC |author-link=BBC |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-42020958 |title= Mexico waterfall: Agua Azul cascades return to quake-hit river |date= November 17, 2017 |publisher= BBC |accessdate= November 18, 2017}} after the 2017 Chiapas earthquake has created a crack and led to a temporary reduction of the water flow over the falls.{{cite web |author=Ruptly |author-link=Ruptly |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU6xdnZE-Rc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/HU6xdnZE-Rc |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title= Chasing waterfalls! Mystery abounds after Agua Azul falls dry up |date=November 13, 2017 |publisher=YouTube |accessdate= Nov 14, 2017}}{{cbignore}}