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Last Updated on February 6, 2021 by Natalie

When I learned about Las Siete Luminarias in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, I only knew one of the seven craters was a tourist attraction. I did not know if any other were accessible. As we arrived at our second crater visit, Crater La Alberca, my husband turned to me and said, “Please don’t make it a goal to visit all seven craters.”

The Crater La Alberca in Guanajuato, Mexico

I assured him it was not on my “list” (bucket or otherwise), but dang it, he sparked a desire! I now (kind of) want to visit all of them, especially after hearing the sad story of the Crater La Alberca and seeing the place for myself. La Alberca is located in Valle de Santiago, Guanajuato, Mexico.

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What is the Crater La Alberca?

It’s one of the famous seven luminaries, called Las Siete Luminarias (the most famous of which is El Rincon de Parangueo and the one to which I want to return). The Seven Luminaries are seven craters that are protected as national monuments. The area actually has over 30 inactive volcanoes in the area, but the others haven’t been designated as special. After visiting El Rincon de Parangueo, our friends asked if we’d like to visit another nearby crater, we said yes! Again, it was a little difficult to find, but this crater had a parking lot. An empty parking lot. There was one vendor at the top of the stairs, selling jicama and postcards.

We headed down the stairs. There are many steps, but it still is easier than trying to climb this one. At the bottom of the stairs was one additional vendor, a candy shop and there was a teen handling the sales. There was a kind of run-down-yet-still-kind-of-pretty in a derelict way deck to one side. To the other, there were built in, blue metal, graffiti covered picnic tables. The green growth was starting to encroach upon the space. The place gave me the same feeling that I get when I look at pictures of abandoned amusement parks.

A boy (probably the brother of the teen running the candy shop) gave my kids some gummi worms and we did end up buying a cupful (3 worms for 1 peso, so I bought a couple pesos worth). Our group were the only visitors at the time.

So, what’s the story with La Alberca? Why so sad?

Crater La Alberca used to be filled with water and was a happening place for vacationing. Now, it is completely empty! It looked like there was a little mud at the bottom, but that’s all the moisture that remains. And when I say this crater was filled with water, it was recently filled with water.  As recently as 15 years ago. I purchased postcards of how it used to look and these photos look like they are much older.

My research is limited, as I am using translations of various sites to try and piece together the story. It is still listed as the most visited of the Seven Luminaries. There were legends surrounding it, such as that it was bottomless and housed a monster much like Loch Ness’s Nessie. It was said that the water turned bright red right before the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City.

But someone screwed something up and all of the water drained.

Much like the other crater we visited, you can venture down into this one. You’ll be facing a narrow, somewhat steep trail, that has you traveling through a lot of brush. It is for a braver adventurer than I, especially after spending several hours outside already. Should you choose to visit this one, it may be worthwhile to bring your bug spray, sunscreen, jeans, and boots and do some hiking. I don’t know that I’ll return, but Crater La Alberca is certainly intriguing. It’s like a sad, homely puppy that you want to scoop into your arms and offer some hugs.

Where is Crater La Alberca Located?

Look how cool it looks!

Should You Go to Crater La Alberca?

Well… I really want to say yes for a few reasons, but I’m going to leave this one up to you. Since it’s virtually abandoned, there is a big risk of crime happening there. There isn’t any type of security at the crater. I don’t recommend going there alone or even in a small group. The reasons I want to say yes are because visiting gives you this crazy feeling of getting to see a lost jewel (and in fact, the crater lakes are called joyas or jewels). You are seeing the bottom of the bottomless lake and you can see why people claim to have seen UFOs there or sea monsters. And while you’re here, you can throw some business to the locals who keep shop at the crater.

Have you ever visited any of the seven luminaries or Crater La Alberca? My readers leave the best feedback. Please leave a comment. Thanks!

 

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