| The Bellamar Caves were discovered by chance | | | | because many of its formations are shining due to |
| in February 1861 when a slave lost his crowbar | | | | the crystalline layer that covers them. The visitor |
| trying to remove a limestone rock. The owner of | | | | enters the cave by a room named Gothic, a |
| the farm, Don Manuel Santos Praga, surprised, | | | | square chamber that is 80 meters long and 25 |
| ordered to dig there and thus, the entrance of | | | | meters wide where amazing rock formations can |
| the cave was found. Enterprising as he was, | | | | be admired, such as The Carrots Garden, The |
| ordered to build masonry staircases in use today, | | | | Chapel of the 12 Apostles, Mrs. Mamerta, and the |
| installed banisters and with the pass of time, | | | | most famous of all, Columbus´ Cloak. |
| installed electric bulbs. He personally became the | | | | Other caverns are The Gallery of the Two Lakes, |
| tourist guide while taking the visitors through the | | | | The Sponge Room, The Gallery of the Dwarfs, |
| alleys of the cave and explaining to them what | | | | and The Gallery of the Megalocnus to the east |
| they were seeing. During the first two years, | | | | side of the Gothic Room. Heading in the opposite |
| more than 2 thousand people visited the place, | | | | direction, the visitor can find the Hatuey Alley, |
| and nowadays, those caves are the most visited | | | | The Room of the Ladies, The Lake of the Dhalias, |
| caves in Cuba. | | | | and the very popular Bathroom of the American |
| Only 3 miles away from Matanzas City, experts | | | | Woman. |
| estimate that the caves began their formation | | | | The area already explored covers 1.5 miles in |
| around 300 thousand years ago when the plains | | | | length, give or take, but it is known that the |
| where the caves are now were under the sea. | | | | extension is larger than that, around 12 miles |
| The tectonic movements made the area rise until | | | | having flooded chambers. The air can be breathed |
| forming the marine terraces that can be seen in | | | | and the temperature is almost stable all year long, |
| Matanzas and its surroundings. With time, these | | | | around 26ºC. |
| caves were emptying and the filtration among the | | | | Specialized public bodies have counted more than |
| rocks began above the roofs of the caves; | | | | 10 thousand caves all over Cuba, many of which |
| filtered waters that contained carbonate of | | | | date from 25 million years of evolution; however, |
| dissolved lime left residues while dripping, | | | | up to this day the Bellamar Caves is the favorite |
| ultimately forming stalactites from the roof and | | | | of the people and the eldest tourist center of |
| stalagmites from the ground. | | | | Cuba. |
| These caves have a very strange beauty | | | | |