Caracol Falls

Caracol Falls, or Cascata do Caracol, is a 426-foot (130 meter) waterfall about 4.35 miles (7.00 km) from Canela, Brazil in Caracol State Park (Parque do Caracol). It is formed by the Caracol River and cuts out of basalt cliffs in the Serra Geral mountain range, falling into the Vale da Lageana. The falls are situated between the pinheiral (pine forest) zone of the Brazilian Highlands and the southern coastal Atlantic Forest. The base of the waterfall can be reached by a steep 927-step trail maintained by the Projeto Lobo-Guará.

Waterfall has formed on the basalt rocks of Serra Geral formation and has two cascades. Upper cascade is located approximately 100 m before the second cascade, which falls over an overhanging cliff ledge.

Caracol Falls has long attracted visitors and is the second most popular natural tourist attraction in Brazil, trailing only Iguazu Falls. In 2009, it received more than 289,000 visitors. There is a nearby 100-foot observation tower that offers an elevator and a panoramic view, as well as a cable car that gives tourists an aerial view of the waterfall. The area also provides a restaurant and craft stalls.

Caracolí

Caracolí is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia, It has an extension of 260 km². It has unique woodlands, with many species of animals and plants.

History

It was founded in 1866.

Economy

Coordinates: 6°24′43″N 74°45′38″W / 6.41194°N 74.7606°W / 6.41194; -74.7606

Caracol

Caracol is the name given to a large ancient Maya archaeological site, located in what is now the Cayo District of Belize. It is situated approximately 40 kilometres south of Xunantunich and the town of San Ignacio Cayo, and 15 kilometers away from the Macal River. It rests on the Vaca Plateau at an elevation of 500 meters above sea-level, in the foothills of the Maya Mountains. Long thought to be a tertiary center, it is now known that the site was one of the most important regional political centers of the Maya Lowlands during the Classic Period. Caracol covered approximately 200 square kilometers, covering an area much larger than present-day Belize City (the largest metropolitan area in the country) and supported more than twice the modern city's population.

Etymology

"Caracol" is a modern name from Spanish: caracol "snail, shell", but more generally meaning spiral- or volute-shaped— apparently on account of the winding access road that led to the site. Its ancient name has been reconstructed from the Emblem Glyph popular among its early rulers - Ux Witz Ajaw, or “Three Hills Lord”. The full name of Caracol would be "Three-Hills Water," read Oxwitza', Uxwitza’ or, hispanicised, "Oxhuitza". This place name may also reference the Three Stone Place of creation.

Carole Facal

Carole Facal, is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Quebec. She writes and performs mainly in French under the stage name Caracol.

Early life

Born to a Uruguayan father and a Swiss mother and raised in Sherbrooke, Quebec, she was trained in classical violin. Always athletic, she left home at 17 to pursue a career as a snowboarder in British Columbia. There, she purchased a guitar and began to write her own music.

Career

She ultimately returned to Quebec and joined the reggae group Kaliroots, also forming (in 1998) a dreadlocked duet act called DobaCaracol with Dorianne Fabreg (Doba). DobaCaracol (the name is a fusion of the two singers' stage names) had a percussive world music sound and toured internationally. The group released two albums, Le Calme Son (2001) and SOLEY (2004).SOLEY sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide, was certified Gold in Canada, and won a Félix Award. Their profile was raised in English Canada with their performance at the 2005 Live 8 Toronto concert.

DobaCaracol broke up in 2007, after which Facal began work on her first solo album L’arbre aux parfums, released in September 2008. The album, which is an eclectic mix of reggae, rocksteady and numerous other musical influences, was released to acclaim and led to two cash awards and a Juno nomination for Francophone Album of the Year.