Of the several caves of Aruba, three

Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...

n caves are well known, seen in deep crevices on the windward face of the island. All three of the caves are located in the

Arikok National Park The Arikok National Park takes up approximately 18 percent of the island of Aruba and includes three primary geological formations: the Aruba lava formation, a quartz diorite formation, and a limestone formation that extends inward from the coast. ...

. The most prominent are Guadirikiri Cave, the Fontein Cave and the Huliba Cave. Nocturnal

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

s nestle in all these caves. The importance which the Government of Aruba attaches to these three caves is borne by the fact that postage stamps with images of them were issued by Post Aruba in April 2009 in specific denominations. The stamp of 175 cents value depicts the Baranca Sunu Cave, the stamp of 200 cents denomination depicts the Fontein Cave, and the stamp of 225 cents value shows the entrance of Quadirikiri Grot (Guadirikiri Cave).

History

The history of the caves was initially linked to the

Amerindians The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples. Many Indigenous peoples of the Ame ...

, a semi nomadic tribe who lived on the Aruba island about 4000 years ago. However, a small branch of

Arawak Indians The Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. Specifically, the term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to the Lokono of South America and the Taíno, who historically lived in the Greate ...

, known as

Caquetio Caquetio, Caiquetio, or Caiquetia are natives of northwestern Venezuela, living along the shores of Lake Maracaibo at the time of the Spanish conquest. They moved inland to avoid enslavement by the Spaniards, while their numbers were drastically ...

, inhabited this island around 1000 AD. The villages inhabited by them were near the towns of Santa Cruz and

Savaneta Savaneta is a town and region in southeastern Aruba. Until 1797, it was the island's capital city. It is home to the island's oldest surviving home, a 150-year-old ''cas di torto'', or mud hut. The Savaneta region has an estimated area of 27.76 s ...

, and the carvings inside the caves and rock faces testify to this inference. Historians have also inferred that Arubans also lived in caves but mainly for the purposes of performing sacrificial services and holding assemblies, and sometimes also to hide in the caves during enemy attacks.

Guadirikiri Cave

The Guadirikiri Cave (also known as " Quadiriki Caves") is notable for its two large dome-shaped chambers which are illuminated with sunlight through holes in the ceiling. Entry to the cave is at the base of the cliff. This long cave is also a nesting site for numerous small nocturnal

s, which are harmless. In order to preserve the natural habitat of the cave for the bats to breed, one of the caves is barred for visitors. A somewhat dubious folk tale relates to a daughter of an Indian chief who fell in love and was imprisoned in the cave as her paramour was not acceptable to her father. Her beloved one was imprisoned nearby, in Huliba Cave (Tunnel of Love), but both lovers managed to meet underground. Both reportedly died in the cave and their spirit vanished into heaven through the holes in the roof of the cave.

Fontein Cave

The Fontein Cave is a small cave near

Boca Prins Boca or BOCA may refer to: Entertainment *''Boca'', a 1994 film starring Rae Dawn Chong * ''Boca'' (2010 film), a 2010 Brazilian film * "Boca" (''The Sopranos'' episode), a 1999 episode of the American television series ''The Sopranos'' *"Boca", a ...

on the northern part of the island. It is well known for its native

Arawak The Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. Specifically, the term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to the Lokono of South America and the Taíno, who historically lived in the Greater ...

drawings Drawing is a form of Visual arts, visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, ...

on the wall, which were decoratively etched by

on the stones walls and flatter roof portion of the cave in brownish-red colour or reddish brown or purplish colour; this in turn gives a clue to the history of the Amerindians. The cave is accessible from an "escarpment of a terrace of coral limestone" and has a width of and a height of . The entrance hall, which is open for visitors, is in height and extends to a depth of . As it is in limestone geological formation, solution effect due to seeping water has resulted in colourful

stalagmites A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...

and

stalactites A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...

formations in very odd shapes and sizes. Long tongued bats nestle in the holes of the cave which go on their nocturnal hunt to collect and feed on food in the form of nectar and pollen. It is also reported that Arawak Indians used to perform their tribal rituals and ceremonies inside this cave.

Huliba Cave

The Huliba Cave (known as the "Baranca Sunu cave" also meaning "Naked Rock") is nicknamed the "Tunnel of Love" for its heart-shaped entrance. The entrance is through a steep and narrow stairway which dips into the cave. It has five entrances. At places, one has to crouch to see the formations. Flashlights are needed to explore the long passageway, as it is totally dark inside the cave. The cave is studded with stalagmites and stalactites formations in limestone rocks. Two bat species residing in this cave include the Southern Long-nosed Bat and

long-tongued Fruit Bat The long-tongued fruit bat (''Macroglossus sobrinus'') is a species of megabat. It is nectarivorous, feeding on nectar from primarily banana flowers. It is found in several countries in South and Southeast Asia. Taxonomy and etymology It was spe ...

. It is interesting to watch when the bats, after sleeping in the caves during the day time, fly out in hordes in search of food. The exit from the tunnel is through a series of steps that are carved on the rock face and are quite risky. In one of the chambers, the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

has been carved in the natural rock formation. Legend mentions about pirates inhabiting the cave to hide their treasures, though there is no proof to confirm this.Sullivan, p.82

Gallery

File:Guadirikiri Cave 3.jpg File:Guadirikiri Cave.JPG File:Indian paintings in Fountein Cave 1.jpg

References

{{reflist

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20080528142423/http://www.aruba.com/whattodo/caves.php Caves of the Caribbean Tourist attractions in Aruba