The Cueva de los Verdes is located in the north of the island of Lanzarote, in the municipality of Haría, and is part of the vast volcanic landscape of the Malpaís de La Corona Natural Monument.
Its formation is the result of the eruptive activity of the La Corona volcano, which gave rise to an extensive underground volcanic tunnel more than six kilometres long that runs from the volcanic cone to the sea. A volcanic tunnel is produced by the cooling and solidification of the surface part of a lava flow in contact with the air while the molten magma inside continues to flow. The partial detachment of the roof of a section of this tunnel forms the structure known as ‘Jameo’, which is nothing more than the opening or mouth of the ground that allows access to the different caves.
The section of the Cueva de los Verdes that has been prepared for visits consists of one kilometre of overlapping galleries with vertical interconnections between them. At some points it has three levels, allowing visitors to discover new spaces from different perspectives.
Particularly spectacular is the range of colours that adorn the vaults and walls of the cave. The reddish colours are due to the oxidation of the iron content of the basalts. The many ochre tones come from the reflections of light on saline efflorescence produced by water seeping from the surface.
There are few places that concentrate as many points of interest for the cultural and natural heritage of Lanzarote as the Cueva de los Verdes, a cave with a mythological aura, steeped in legend and full of landscape features of extraordinary beauty and uniqueness. Formed as a result of the eruptive activity of the Corona Volcano, it is one of the most surprising wonders hidden in the bowels of Lanzarote. Used as a hiding place for the population against the attacks and invasions of pirates from North Africa during the 16th and 17th centuries, in the 19th century it became a must-see for European travellers, scholars and scientists fascinated by this unique volcanic formation which, paradoxically, owes its name to the surname of a family who kept their livestock in the surrounding area, so the story goes.
In the 1960s, the Cabildo of Lanzarote called upon the Majorero artist Jesús Soto, who would later become a close collaborator of Manrique, to adapt this natural sanctuary of volcanic origin, which has become a focus of attraction for thousands of visitors who long to discover its secret. Soto ordered the visit and deployed all his knowledge of the treatment of light and shadow to extract the luminosity of the stone and enhance the capricious forms that the lava left behind in its devastating path. The chromatic range of ochres, greys, blacks and reddish tones reign in this paradise of darkness and are mimicked by the effect of the light to draw grotesque landscapes and spectacular rock structures that surprise the visitor. Entering the Cueva de los Verdes is, without a doubt, an initiatory journey to the centre of the earth.
(Not suitable for people with limited mobility)
