Cueva del Dinero

Beneath the gaze of Montaña Lomo Blanco, lies a secret whispered on the winds of Fuerteventura. A secret etched not in gold doubloons but in the very rock and sand. The Cueva del Dinero, they call it, the Money Cave. A name that conjures images of pirate hordes and buried treasure. But is it a reality, or just another tale spun on long Fuerteventura afternoons? The Cueva del Dinero isn’t a cave at all, but a lava block carved by a persistent watercourse flowing from the mountain. This stream also shaped the nearby Caleta del Barco bay, a far cry from a secure hiding spot. Any pirate foolish enough to bury treasure here would find it swiftly swept out to sea with the next downpour. History tells us that Fuerteventura suffered only two major pirate attacks. One in 1593 by the North African slave hunter Arraéz Xaban, more interested in human cargo than hidden gold. The other in 1740 by the English corsair Davidson, who was swiftly chased off the island after the Battle of Tamasite. Despite the lack of pirate gold, the area surrounding the Cueva del Dinero hums with intriguing names. Llano el Dinero, the Money Plain, stretches out below the mountain. Caleta del Barco, the Cove of the Boat, hints at a sheltered landing spot on an otherwise treacherous coastline. And then there’s the unsettling Laderas del Purgatorio, the Slope of Purgatory, lying between the cove and Majanicho. These names, like pieces of a forgotten puzzle, suggest events lost to time. The fires of history, particularly the raid by Arraéz Xaban in 1593, destroyed the cathedral and monastery in Betancuria, obliterating precious archives. With them, the true stories of this unique landscape may have vanished. Today, the Cueva del Dinero remains a place where imagination reigns. It stands as a testament to the power of stories, the allure of the unknown. A haven for birdwatchers and a playground for surfers who brave the enormous waves at Punta Lala and Punta Tinosa, the Cueva del Dinero whispers a different kind of wealth, a wealth of stories waiting to be discovered.