Madre de Dios Island


Madre de Dios Island is an island in the Magallanes Region, Chile. It is located west of the Trinidad Channel and Concepción Channel. Madre de Dios Island is composed partly of limestone and has several natural caves. In one of those caves, called the "Cave of the whales", skeletons of whales 2600 to 3500 old have been discovered 10 to 30 meters above sea level. In another cave, named Cueva del Pacifico, rock art was discovered in 2006. Many others caves near the coast were used by the indigenous Kaweskar people for burial. One skull found dates back to 4500 years ago. Some caves were used as temporary camps. Since 2008, the island has been protected as a nature reserve.