0177: Cuevuca, La
S Vega 30T 451486 4795311 (Datum: ETRS89. Accuracy code: G) Altitude 244m
Length 441m Depth 84m
Area position : Site entrance in context : Logbook search

Updated 19th February 1999; 16th September 2000; 27th October 2001; 5th May 2002; 9th November 2003; 9th October 2004; 1st October 2007; 21st December 2008; 1st February 2011; 26th September 2015; 11th September 2019; 8th September 2022; 12th May 2023; 29th April 2024

   The relative positions of the 3 sites to the southeast can be seen here.
   A small entrance lies about 15m to the northwest of an obvious goat shelter (site 2682) at the head of a small wooded valley, above Cueva del Haya (0178). The hole drops onto a slope down into a chamber. Some mixed pottery pieces have been found on the left of the slope which are classed as Bronze Age, Romano-indigenous and medieval. These pieces are discussed in Ruiz Cobo Jesús and Smith Peter et al, 2001 and mentioned in Ruiz Cobo Jesús et al, 2008, p209. On the right, parallel passages soon choke. In 2007, beyond the pools down to the right, a ramp "leading up above the low bit" was noted. Has this been explored?
   A second entrance (5208) lies just to the northwest of the goat pen, in the cliff.
   Some re-exploration in the summer 2022 ended after encountering "masses of slippery mud with only one rope and ladder".

Description (updated summer 2015, Peter Smith)
   At the end of the entrance chamber a squeeze enters a well decorated room with a nice gour floor. A climb of 4m up flowstone leads to a large chamber with a loose slope to the head of a shaft. By scrambling around the top, a large passage is reached. To the north east, a well decorated tunnel passes a blind 10m pitch and ends after 120m very close to the surface. To the southwest, a decorated passage becomes smaller until a squeeze onto the head of a greasy, sloping 50m pitch that connects with the shaft in the chamber. This is broken by ledges and ends on boulders which slope down to a dismal sump at valley level.

   According to an email from Carlos Lamoile (Easter 2024 logbook), a crawl goes off to another (undescended) drop at the base of the final pitch. It may be that the sump had dried up or the original explorers missed a small hole.

Bat information
Date: 5/4/2023
Evidence of occupation (only): droppings
Bat remains (number): -
Species identified name (number): lesser horseshoe bat (>20)
Other notes: -
Photos from visit : video

References: Corrin J S and Smith P, 1981; Smith P, 1981b (survey and photo); anon., 1981a (logbook); Corrin J et al, 1981a; Corrin J, 1981; Smith P, 1982b; Corrin J, 1983c; Ortiz N, 1982 (survey); material in file; anon., 1998c (Christmas logbook); Smith Peter and Ruiz Cobo Jesús, 1999; Ruiz Cobo Jesús and Smith Peter et al, 2001 (includes drawing of pottery); anon., 2007d (summer logbook); Ruiz Cobo Jesús et al, 2008 (survey); anon., 2019d (summer logbook); anon., 2022c (summer logbook); anon., 2023b (Easter logbook); anon., 2024b (Easter logbook)
Entrance pictures : yes
Underground picture(s): 1999? : 2015 : 2019 : 2022 : Easter 2023 : head of p50 (2024)
Video: Easter 2010 : wmv (7Mb) or mpg (58Mb) : bat droppings, April 2023
Detailed Survey
: from 1981: low res  high res
Line Survey :
On area survey :
Survex file : yes :  download South Vega System (Coordinates altered to fit ETRS89 datum, April 2014.)
Passage direction rose diagram: 30/6/2018

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