Playa del Carmen will host the National Congress of Speleology

The event will take place from October 29 to November 2, 2021

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, (May 17, 2021).-  The Mexican Union of Speleological Groups (UMAE) announced in a virtual press conference the XV National Congress of Speleology, to be held in Playa del Carmen from October 29 to November 2, 2021.

In the press conference participated Fátima Tec Pool, the president of the UMAE; Yazmin Barragan, the vice president of the same organization; Roberto Rojo, director of the Playa del Carmen planetarium, which will be the main venue for the event, and Germán Yañez, founder of the Círculo Espeleológico del Mayab.

They pointed out that the congress is held every two years in different parts of the country; the last one took place in Hermosillo, Sonora, in 2019 and they expect the participation of 18 groups dedicated to caving, as well as several international experts. 

Germán Yañez mentioned that this will be an opportunity to learn more about the caves and the importance of their conservation, especially this year, which is the international year of karst.

He announced that many activities will be carried out within the framework of the congress: for children, cavers, tours to explore caves, Olympic caving (competitions between professionals), and keynote conferences on caving, biospeleology, and underwater caving.

The biologist Roberto Rojo announced that this will be a space for the institutes to share their work with the speleological community, but also for the community to know about the beauty and fragility of the underground environments of this region of the country.

He invited all those who want to participate as speakers, attendees, or exhibitors to contact them through different virtual means such as the event’s website, Facebook Círculo Espeleológico del Mayab, AC, and Instagram @XVCNME.

He announced that, as part of the activities, there will be a photography contest, presentation of books, posters and videos and the possibility of acquiring professional equipment through various companies that will exhibit their catalogs.