Pomier Caves

Pomier Caves - darkometer rating : 6 - An exceptional site in the Dominican Republic , this is an extensive system of underground caverns, including an amazing bat cave, though the main claim to fame of the place is its pre-Columbian petroglyphs and cave paintings left by the indigenous Taino people some 2000 years ago. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: The Taino people, who dominated the land which today is the Dominican Republic , were basically wiped out through the arrival of colonialism (not least due to the enslavement initiated by Columbus himself – see also under Dominican history ). And of the cultural vestiges left of them, the ones at the Pomier Caves are probably the most significant. The Taino had a culture that involved a lot of cave paintings/petroglyphs, and the meanings of this prehistoric art are still being studied. The expert guide I had at this site certainly had a lot to say about the interpretation of the various images he pointed out on the tour. I won't replicate any of this here – I'd much rather leave this to the experts. A) I wouldn't want to give away spoilers to any prospective visitors, and B) I couldn't remember all the details accurately enough to do it justice anyway. Get it first-hand instead! Unfortunately, the caves are in danger. On the one hand, there's the very direct threat from the neighbouring quarry. If the caves were not a protected national park, they'd have dug them up and destroyed them already. The status of national park-hood, however, isn't as much a guarantee of safety as it may be in other countries.