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.