A collection of more than 50 interconnecting caves, the Cuevas de Pomier contain several thousand spectacular drawings, carvings, and pictographs portraying human figures, birds, reptiles, and religious rites.
They were created some 2,000 years ago using charcoal and animal fat, and are principally the work of the Taíno people.
The Pomier caves are a series of 55 caves located in the hamlet of El Pomier, Borbon section, in the north of the province of San Cristobal, in the Dominican Republic, about 18.6 miles from the city of Santo Domingo.
Scattered over an area of about 4 km, containing the largest collection of rock art in the Caribbean and one of the most important in the world. They are considered to be one of the main archaeological and heritage sites.
The discovery of the caves in San Cristobal:
This cave system was discovered in 1849 by the British consul Robert Schomburgk. This finding was the first of its kind in America and only the fifth in the world, prior to the discovery of the largest caves in Europe such as the Lascaux cave in 1860.
Visit of the Pomier caves:
The Pomier Caves house a collection of more than 4000 pictograms, petroglyphs, engravings of birds, fish, reptiles and human figures made mostly by the Taino groups, but also according to ethnicity and Igneri of the Caribbean, the indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and some of the Lesser Antilles in pre-Columbian times. This collection of rock art surpasses anything that has been found in the rest of the Caribbean. The base ink is estimated to be made from charcoal and animal fat, dating back over 2000 years and they have been protected from moisture thanks to the depth of over 1000 feet below grade. from the sea.
A protected area:
Since 1996, the Caves of Pomier belong to the national system of protected areas of the Dominican Republic. Previously, they had been protected by law in 1943, classified as a national monument in 1969 and Dominican cultural heritage in 1992, efforts were made to ensure recognition by UNESCO as a world heritage site, which would greatly contribute at the level of protection and international promotion.
The Pomier Caves are a series of 55 caves located north of San Cristobal in the south of the Dominican Republic. Wikipedia