Parque Nacional del Este also has more than 400 caves, many of which contain Taíno pictographs (cave paintings) and petroglyphs (rock carvings). Archaeologists have found several structures and artifacts in and around the caves, including what appears to be the remains of a large Taíno city (perhaps the largest) and the site of a notorious massacre of indigenous people by Spanish soldiers.
Only one of the caves that contain Taíno pictographs, Cueva del Puente , can be easily visited. It is partially collapsed, but has a modest number of Taíno pictures, mostly depicting animals and human-like figures that may represent people or deities. The cave also has some impressive stalagmites and stalactites.
To visit Cueva del Puente, you must first drive to the national park entrance at Guaraguao, 5km past Dominicus Americanus (turn right 350m down a dirt road after the Cadaques Caribe Resort). There you will pay the RD$100 entrance fee and the guard will guide you to the cave – it’s a little over 3km, about a 40-minute walk; you’ll need a flashlight and good shoes. South of here is Cueva Penon Gordo , a smaller cave but with more pictographs.
