The caves at Pomier, located in the southern province of San Cristobal, to the west of Santo Domingo, contain incredible pictographs of life before Christopher Columbus. These artists belonged to the Tainos and Igniris peoples who inhabited the island for centuries before 1492.
Apparently, these caves were used by island-hopping settlers from all over the Caribbean area for over 1,000 years. In fact, experts put the wall paintings at between 1,300 and 1,500 years of age and establish a connection between Mesoamerica and the Caribbean.
All of this has led the Dominican legislature to look at a proposal that recognizes the enormous value of this area, and places it among the stars of Dominican national heritage.
Friar Ramon Pane was perhaps the first European to visit the area in the latter part of the 15th Century. His description of the area and its inhabitants perhaps best describes the importance of the site. He said: “These caves are visited by aborigines from all over the American continent, just like Christians visit Rome and the islamists visit Mecca. This is to say that this is the religious and mystic capital of the Antilles.”
One of the reasons for the need to have this legislation is that the Pomier Caves are not protected. Much of the zone where they are located is rich in limestone, and has been mined, destroying part of the caves.
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Listin Diario
28 February 2022