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There are 17 caves recorded in Cuba however, many more are still
unexplored now. Vinales is one of the lush valleys in the Sierra
de los Organos. Situated in the Province of Pinar del Rio, Cuba,
Vinales Valley has numerous caverns, among which Cueva del Indio
(crossed by the San Vicente River), Cueva de San Miguel and
Cueva de Santo Tomás. They are the subterranean passage of 45 Km
of galleries in which one swim, dive and boat. Remnants of the
Jurassic era, the ‘mogotes’, limestones cones and knolls provide
the entrance of the caves. The stairs cut in the rocks plunge in
darkness as one-steps in. Inside a roof of stalagmites and
stalactites creates a welcoming and magical atmosphere. The
caves in Viñales Valley have sheltered many groups of people.
The first the Mesolithic groups, the aboriginals Ciboneyes
Preagroalfareros depended on nature’s reserve for survival and
they later evolved as hunters, fisherman and farmers. The
pictographic works on the cave walls testify of their presence.
The caverns ‘El Palenque’ were also the refuge of the marooned
slaves and a road of escape to freedom. The once hiding place of
runaway slaves, it became that of the rebels, Che Guevaras
Comrades during the Cuban revolution. |
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