Top 6 Caves アルガンダデルレイでの

The caves of the primitive Carpetanian settlement of Caraca are a window in time, from the first Carpetanian inhabitants to the present day, representing the different cultures that have populated the Tajuña valley over time. The current state shows the deterioration typical of a hillside made of marl and gypsum that is brittle and easily eroded. In the time of the Carpetanians, it was a troglodyte settlement with interior passages that connected different galleries, had water channels, warehouses and houses protected from intruders at a certain height from the ground, accessed by ladders and ropes. In the middle of the last century, the Risco de las Cuevas was the setting for several films.

On the Jarama front, taking advantage of the structure and characteristics of the terrain, the excavation of caves was common, from small individual shelters to large caves (like the one we can see on the “Secrets of the Greenway” route. Element 8) and tunnels that allowed entire squads or platoons to be housed, the installation of command posts, health posts, warehouses, etc. These excavations, on the one hand, allowed the troops to be hidden from the sight of the enemy and offered good protection in case of bombing, and on the other, they offered a certain degree of comfort to the soldiers who remained in them. These caves usually have many common elements, such as the existence of small holes to support camping equipment or personal objects or chimneys for the escape of smoke. After the Civil War, this type of caves have had various uses. One of them, and a very important one, was the cultivation of mushrooms, carried out until the mid-eighties of the 20th century.

Due to the characteristics of the terrain, caves have been built throughout history, which have served very different purposes. In this area we have clear examples.

These are excavations carried out on the ground to protect citizens during the bombings of the Spanish Civil War. Later they were used to plant mushrooms and other similar mushrooms. At present they are closed to avoid their destruction.

A unique and magical place a few km from the town of Chinchón. Its origin is artificial and is due to the mines that were exploited in the past for the extraction of sodium sulfate. Today you can visit them and contemplate their impressive size, and why not, imagine what it might have been like to work there a few centuries ago.

The Southeast Regional Park covers an area of 31,550 hectares in 16 municipalities of Madrid populations in constant expansion in the southeast of the capital, accentuating the peri-urban nature of the protected space, located in one of the most populated and industrialized areas of the Community of Madrid . A rich natural heritage of lagoons, wetlands, riverside forests, river groves and steppe hills make up a valuable set of ecosystems that are home to a unique flora and fauna in an environment of housing estates, roads, industrial farms and railways. A succession of strong contrasts that contribute to further elevate the environmental quality of the territory and the need to conserve these valuable wildlife refuges on the outskirts of the big city.

From the Tajuña greenway you can see many cliffs and cliffs of gypsum and limestone excavated for thousands of years by the river. At the height of Tielmes, you can see some cavities that are machine gun nests, lookouts, trenches and bunkers from the civil war built by the Republican army to contain the advance of the national troops on the capital.