In June of this year while visiting Iguazu Falls in Misiones Province in Northern Argentina, I decided to do a side-trip to a recommended site in the region. This ended up being a very informative and enjoyable day trip which I am now finally posting about.
The Wanda crystal mineral mines are situated about 50 km’s South of Puerto Iguazú on the Paraná River and is easily reachable by bus from Puerto Iguazú. There is a bit of a walk involved (about 3 km’s) once the coach drops you off next to the road but there are also taxi’s available to take you to the mines from the drop-off point, should you prefer that option
The town of Wanda and the surrounding area received immigrants from Poland in the 1930’s and the town and the mines were given the name of Wanda who was a Polish princess who according to legend was very fond of gemstones.
Visitors can get quite a rare insight into how crystals and minerals are formed and also how they are mined, which is quite a delicate process. According to the guide that showed visitors around, the miners work individually in separate mine-shafts (because they are in competition with each other) and they try to locate air bubbles (geodes) that were formed centuries ago during volcanic activity. Hot lava cooled down and during the cooling process the various types of crystals formed inside the geodes. The miners’ objective is to excavate the geodes intact and to avoid breaking or damaging them, because they retain the highest value that way.
The crystals and gemstones found at Wanda mines include amethysts, quarts, agates, topazes, jaspers and rock crystals. There are two mines next to each other and the pictures in the gallery below are more or less in the order that they were taken. All in all I highly recommend this excursion if you are in the area. The only downside is that word has it that unfortunately the gift shop has some fake items mixed in with the authentic items, so it might be best playing it safe and not buying anything of high value from the gift shop. Nevertheless, the mines themselves are fascinating and well worth a visit.
By Jean-Jacques
Date visited: 17 June 2019.
Date published: 13 November 2019
6 Comments
Fantastiese foto’s en besondere inligting!
Dankie vir die besoek en die kommentaar, Dina! Bly jy het die fotos en die informasie geniet.
This would send me all sky high. I love crystals and think they can be very powerful.
Thanks for commenting, Georgina! Yes, I can imagine that these mines must be a real treat for crystal lovers. What a truly amazing planet we live on!
Thanks for the inside view, Jacques. The rivers must carve out the Ellensburg Blue Agate found in separate pieces in Washington. I should have guessed geodes weren’t always just laying around. Wondering about the energy/vibration attributed to crystals, I imagined they naturally hold the energy of a rhythm and pattern of movement that was carried on so long to create them. The MOVEMENT of solid rock that creates beauty within itself is amazing. Thanks for sharing your discovery. in lak’e’ch, Debra
It’s a pleasure, Debra! Although I am not personally very familiar with the energetic principles of the various crystals and minerals I know it is a whole field of interest and study, one which I may explore / look into at some stage as it links to earth energies (telluric energy) in terms of what the Mayans used to be aware of. Fully agreed on the movement of solid rock. Thank you for visiting and sharing your thoughts!