Gruta de Ubajara

Gruta de Ubajara (English: Ubajara Grotto, meaning "Lord of the canoe") (CE-001) is a cave located in the Brazilian city of Ubajara, in the foothills of the Serra Ibiapaba, Ceará. Being 1120 metres long and having nine halls with 420 metres of lit trails, it lies within the Ubajara National Park and is formed of limestone.[1] Access to the cave is via a cable car which descends over a depression of 535 metres deep.[1] One can also reach the cave through the Cafundós trail, down more than 4 km.

History

The Ubajara grotto is known since the early eighteenth century, when Portuguese expeditions conducted in the region in search of minerals, especially silver, took place without achieving much success. There are other caves known, but they are not open to visitors. Among them stands out the Gruta do Urso Fóssil, of great paleontological importance, the Gruta do Morcego Branco, Gruta de Cima and Gruta do Pendurado.[2]

Ubajara is a name of indigenous origin and the prevailing translation for the name is "Lord of the Canoe." The name would have appeared from the legend of a tribe chief who, having arrived from the coast, inhabited the cave for many years. There are other translations for the name as "Lord of the arrows".[2] Some people also believe that the origin of cave is due to excavations in search of silver, combined with almost two hundred years of climate change.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Mesquita, Thiago. "Parque Nacional de Ubajara – Trilhas e grutas no sertão cearense" (in Portuguese). Viva Viver.com. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 Sao Francisco. "Portal Sao Francisco". Retrieved 12 September 2013.
Attribution

Coordinates: 3°50′03″S 40°54′00″W / 3.8343°S 40.8999°W / -3.8343; -40.8999


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