| ext">The Bellamar Caves were discovered by chance | | | | while dripping, ultimately forming stalactites from the |
| in February 1861 when a slave lost his crowbar trying | | | | roof and stalagmites from the ground. |
| to remove a limestone rock. The owner of the farm, | | | | These caves have a very strange beauty because |
| Don Manuel Santos Praga, surprised, ordered to dig | | | | many of its formations are shining due to the |
| there and thus, the entrance of the cave was found. | | | | crystalline layer that covers them. The visitor enters |
| Enterprising as he was, ordered to build masonry | | | | the cave by a room named Gothic, a square |
| staircases in use today, installed banisters and with | | | | chamber that is 80 meters long and 25 meters wide |
| the pass of time, installed electric bulbs. He personally | | | | where amazing rock formations can be admired, such |
| became the tourist guide while taking the visitors | | | | as The Carrots Garden, The Chapel of the 12 |
| through the alleys of the cave and explaining to them | | | | Apostles, Mrs. Mamerta, and the most famous of all, |
| what they were seeing. During the first two years, | | | | Columbus´ Cloak. |
| more than 2 thousand people visited the place, and | | | | Other caverns are The Gallery of the Two Lakes, |
| nowadays, those caves are the most visited caves in | | | | The Sponge Room, The Gallery of the Dwarfs, and |
| Cuba. | | | | The Gallery of the Megalocnus to the east side of |
| Only 3 miles away from Matanzas City, experts | | | | the Gothic Room. Heading in the opposite direction, |
| estimate that the caves began their formation | | | | the visitor can find the Hatuey Alley, The Room of |
| around 300 thousand years ago when the plains | | | | the Ladies, The Lake of the Dhalias, and the very |
| where the caves are now were under the sea. The | | | | popular Bathroom of the American Woman. |
| tectonic movements made the area rise until forming | | | | The area already explored covers 1.5 miles in length, |
| the marine terraces that can be seen in Matanzas | | | | give or take, but it is known that the extension is |
| and its surroundings. With time, these caves were | | | | larger than that, around 12 miles having flooded |
| emptying and the filtration among the rocks began | | | | chambers. The air can be breathed and the |
| above the roofs of the caves; filtered waters that | | | | temperature is almost stable all year long, around |
| contained carbonate of dissolved lime left residues | | | | 26ºC. |