Viñales Valley (Spanish: Valle de Viñales) is a large natural depression in Cuba. It covers an area of 132 square kilometers (51 square miles) and is located in the Sierra de los Órganos mountains, which are part of the Guaniguanico mountain range. The valley lies just north of the town of Viñales in the Pinar del Río Province.

In 1999, the valley was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as a natural and cultural landscape because of its use of traditional methods for growing tobacco.

Overview

Tobacco and other crops are grown in the valley's lower areas, primarily using old farming methods that have been used for many years. These methods require a lot of human effort and are believed to produce better quality tobacco than using machines.

The valley has many small farms and villages that have been inhabited since the time of the Spanish explorers and conquerors. Some buildings from the colonial period are still in use today. The valley's culture has been shaped by the blending of different groups, including native people, enslaved Africans and their descendants, and Spanish settlers, followed by later European settlers.

Many caves can be entered through openings in the hills around the valley, such as Cueva del Indio and Cueva de José Miguel. The tall limestone hills that rise above the valley floor are called mogotes. These hills can reach heights of up to 300 meters.

Viñales is a popular tourist destination, mainly offering activities like hiking and rock climbing. In the early 2000s, rock climbing became more popular in the area, leading to the discovery of many new climbing routes. This has increased the number of visitors to the region.

Geography

The unique landforms called mogotes, found only in Cuba, can sometimes be as large as mountains and have unusual shapes. Similar geological structures are found in Southeast Asia, including the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, the Thai highlands, Laos, Vietnam, and the South China Karst region.

In the valley, areas like Alturas de Pizarras are made of different types of rock. These formations are the oldest known in Cuba and the Caribbean region.

Conservation

This valley is home to many plants and animals that are found only in this area. The plants include Pachira emarginata (also known as Bombax emarginatum), mountain palm (Gaussia princeps), Ekmanianthe actinophylla, and Microcycas calocoma.

The animals in the region include the bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae, also called zunzún), Cuban trogon (Priotelus temnurus), Cuban tody (Todus multicolor), Cuban solitaire (Myadestes elisabeth), and Cuban grassquit (Tiaris canorus).

Mural of Prehistory

The valley of Dos Hermanas is home to the Mural of Prehistory, a modern artwork. It is painted on a stone located on one of the hills in the area. This mural shows how life in Cuba has changed over time in a natural way.

The Mural of Prehistory is found on a hill called Pita. It is painted on a steep slope. To protect the rock from rain damage, the surface was cleaned, and drainage channels were added. The mural is 120 meters tall and 160 meters long. The artist who created it was Leovigildo González Morillo, who worked as Director of Cartography at the Cuban Academy of Sciences.

The mural includes images of Guanahatabeye Indians, different types of mammals, large animals, and some kinds of mollusks.

The Mural of Prehistory is divided into 12 sections. These sections show how humans and animals in the Sierra de los Órganos evolved through different stages of time.

Photo gallery

• Palenque de los Cimarrones
• Viñales Valley
• Viñales Valley
• Viñales Valley
• Viñales Countryside