Mogotes de Jumagua

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Location of Mogotes de Jumagua in Cuba

The Mogotes de Jumagua are a set of 8 elevated limestone features (Spanish: Mogotes) in the Villa Clara Province of Cuba. They are located within the orographic group Heights of the Northwest in the center-north of the Island of Cuba, two kilometers south-west from the city of Sagua la Grande.

They pinnacles are of Upper Cretaceous age and are fused to each other, presenting enormous caverns. They have great scientific interest due to the enormous concentration of flora and fauna in a relatively reduced area, forming an ecological small barren island. Species in the area are vestige of the old primitive Cuban gold coast forests. It was listed as a nature reserve by the Cuban authorities, protecting an area of 4.79 km² (1.8 sq mi).^[1]

[edit] History

Before 1970 Jumagua's Mogotes weren't studied scientifically at all, this year mark the beginning of what can probably be considered one the most important success story for Cuban naturalists and nature lovers. Since the hills were never before studied and they only had until that moment no apparent interest, using them as limestone mines was considered a viable economic use. The hills were only visited by sporadic students or some curious traveler mostly looking for gold (a local legend goes a pirate used the hills to hide a treasure and never came back to claim it). No definition as wildlife refugee, archaeological or speleological site, or any ecological importance was attached to it.

In the 70's however Sabaneque Speleological Group from Sagua la Grande starts the production of a cartographic map of the region along with a flora and fauna Catalog of the caverns in the mogotes. A huge surprise was reserved to them when it turns out that the small caves were actually a subterranean developed system of caverns with lakes and rivers. Numerous rare endemic animals live in there, among them a unique pseudo scorpion, considering not many species of scorpions live in the island and before this only in fables told by farmers was described a different kind of scorpion that only lived in the Mogotes proving true the fable turn out quite pleasant, also giant fisher bat colonies, cave tortoises, blind fishes and crabs, and the American ell Anguilla rostrata live here. In the case of the ells we also have an impressive example of adaptation since this species usually live in the ocean, they move into rivers and lakes only to give birth. Fossils were also discovered, like the disappeared snail Pseudomiltha sp. and a giant rodent (Megalocnus rodens) that once roam Cuban forests, so big that is used to be described by paleontologists as the Cuban bear. Last but not least bones and other proof that Cuban indigenous people lived in the area prior to the Spanish conquest.

But the most important species ever re-discovered belongs to the plant kingdom; the forgotten Palmitas de Jumagua (literally Jumagua's little palms) Hemithrinax ekmaniana a thrinax endemic to these hills and unique in the world.

As results of these investigations not only the first maps of its caverns were produced, also the first flora and fauna catalog was made by Sabaneque Speleological group of the whole forest in the mogotes and after claiming one of the most important archaeological sites of the region this little mountains were turn into a Natural Park and saved for future generations.

[edit] Local legends

In Afro-Cuban mythology the "mother of waters" is a half serpent half woman creature that lives in rivers and ponds, usually torturing and taking with her people and cattle into the darkness, her songs the "guijes" are dwarf black kids, they live in ponds surrounded by jungle and use to play pranks on travelers. Jumagua's Mogotes like every small wild place in Cuba is no different and was attached over century with one of the biggest mother of waters ever seen. Farmers back in the XIX century and beginning of the XX claimed to have seen her or seen her tracks in the dirt. Since the legend of the scorpion turn out to be true, finding a rather big snake in the caverns was one of the purposes of Sabaneque Group. There are no big snakes in Cuba, but the premises in what the group base it's research to proof this theory was to consider that a visitor traveling from oversees might have brought an anaconda (or similar snake) since they are very small in juvenile age, and it grew up after in the area using the caves as shelter. But so far they have never found any bones or skin to proof that the snake have ever been in the hills.

Another colorful story involves pirates. According to the story one day a Captain with part of his crew disembark by the Isabella coast and hid the treasure in the mogotes, heading back to the coast he notice his second in command was missing, maybe lost, but very soon the captain a very smart guy understood that the second officer actually stayed behind in order to steal the treasure for himself. A shooting developed between the pirates and a band of bandits (probably the XO himself) and the pirates had to head back to coast empty handed. This story, true or not have made lot of locals go and try luck in the hills looking for the lost gold.

Historically what is true fact is all their caves were campings places for run away slaves during the colonialism and for mambi warriors of the "Sagua Brigade" during the independence war of 1895.