[1][2][3][4] The sinkhole occurred because of a combination of reasons, including Tropical Storm Agatha, the Pacaya Volcano eruption, and leakage from sewer pipes.

[12] Sergio Morales, the human rights ombudsman for Guatemala City, verified that residents have been raising concerns about ground instability, including rumblings and fissures, since 2005.

Additionally, in a discussion with the newspaper Prensa Libre, Augusto Lopez Rincon, president of a neighborhood association, suggested that heavy traffic from commercial trucks may have contributed to the 2007 sinkhole's development.

[14] Geologists familiar with Guatemala, including William Rose, a professor of geological engineering and sciences at Michigan Technological University, agree that the sinkhole was not caused by limestone, which typically plays a role in such disasters.

[3] According to Sam Bonis, a geologist at Dartmouth College, leaking pipes went unfixed long enough to create the conditions necessary for sinkhole formation because of city zoning regulations and building codes.

[3] The sinkhole appeared almost perfectly round and seemed to defy reality, raising significant concerns about the structural integrity of the surrounding area and the impact of urban development on natural landscapes.

[3] On 27 May, three days before Agatha became a tropical depression, the Pacaya volcano, located about 40 km (25 miles) south of Guatemala City, erupted, killing at least one person and blanketing nearby areas with layers of ash.

CONRED hasn’t told them what to do.”[15] Because of the role played by sewage pipes in the sinkhole's collapse, Bonis, along with other geologists, has demanded that the government inspect the sewer system more regularly.

[30] This is because filling the hole in with cement diverts water runoff to other areas, potentially increasing the risk of sinkholes occurring in other parts of the city.