Las grutas de Ongamira

Useful Information

Location:	Ongamira, 25 km from Capilla del Monte, 120 km from Córdoba. (-30.774584, -64.406051)
Open:	During season daily 9-19. Rest of year Sat, Sun 9-19. [2025]
Fee:	Adults ARP 5,000, Children (0-6) free. [2025]
Classification:	Erosional Cave
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided, D=3 h
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Alberto Rex González, Osvaldo Menghin (1954): Archaeological excavations at the Ongamira site, Córdoba (Argentine Republic) National University of La Plata, 1954.
Address:	Las grutas de Ongamira.
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History

1573	Spanish, led by Blas de Rosales, exterminated archers, axemen, and lancers, under the command of Chief Onga.
1574	thousands of native people slaughtered by Spanish conquerors.
1940	archaeological excavations by Aníbal Montes and Alberto Rex González.
1950	excavations by the Museum of Natural Sciences of La Plata.
1954	excavations by the Museum of Natural Sciences of La Plata.
2008	declared the "fifth natural wonder" of the province of Córdoba.

Description

The Cuevas de Ongamira, also known as Las grutas de Ongamira are actually no caves. The location is an escarpment with a huge cliff full of abris, overhanging rocks and large grottoes. Those erosional caverns were formed by the nearby river who cut into the cliff. The rocky outcrops are part of the Parque Natural Ongamira. The area is home to many nesting birds and there are numerous walking routes offering great outlooks.

This place is quite famous for Argentinians. In 1574, Spanish conquerors slaughtered thousands of native people here. It was one of the greatest tragedies of the colonial era. The Chilean poet and Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda once called this the saddest place in the world. The story goes like this:

In 1573 the Spanish farmer and miner Blas de Rosales came to this area escorting Juan Nuñez de Prado. He was commissioned by the founder of Córdoba, Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera. But the natives fiercely defended their villages and exterminated the invaders in an ambush near the Ongamira caves. Squads of arrowmen, spearmen and axmen, commanded by the chief Unca or Onga, killed the intruders. A regiment of twenty-five men under the command of Captains Antón Berrú, Miguel de Ardiles and Tristán de Tejeda was sent to retaliate. The armor and shields protected the Spanish against the attacks of the Stone Age weapons. On 19-DEC-1574 they defeated the warriors and killed them, destroying any hope of resistance. Thousands of women, men and children committed suicide by jumping from the cliff, not to surrender and be enslaved by the conquerors.

Since 1940 the caves were studied by the archaeologists Aníbal Montes and Alberto Rex González. The excavations were continued by the Museum of Natural Sciences of La Plata in the 1950s. They revealed scrapers, conanas, pestles, burials of adults and children, bead necklaces, punches, and mortars. Arrowheads were created from quartz, flint, and bone, which have a triangular shape with a straight base and convex sides. The remains were dated to be some 5000 years old. There is a museum on site where many remains are on display.

The place was a resting place for groups of nomadic hunters of guanacos and deer. It was not inhabited, but visited regularly. Most likely the hunters were following the migration of the animals during the year.

The site is located in a valley through a low mountain ridge. It is surrounded by Pajarillo hills (1,700 m asl), Áspero (1,640 m asl) and Charalqueta or Colchiqui (1,575 m asl). The rock formation with the caves is a plateau of reddish Cretaceous sandstone, with a more or less flat plateau, cliffs on all sides, and some narrow gorges eroded into the rock following cracks in the rock. The main cave is a shelter with the name Cueva del Indio (Indian Cave). The hike to the caves takes at least an hour. Unfortunately the site has no website and there is no firsthand information available. Depending on how fit yu are and much time you spend at the caves, times between 1.5 h and up to 3 h are given for the full tour. Sun protection, hiking shoes, and some water are much recommended.

Nearby are two related sites, 500 m to the east is another shelter which was excavated. The cave is also open to the public and the abandoned pits of the excavation are still visible. Obviously the neighbours copied the idea of a tourist cave. And about 1 km to the east is the Museo Deodoro Roca, which is dedicated to local history. Beneath some archaeological artifact from the shelters in the area, the history of the caves is explained.