Mural de la Prehistoria, Viñales, Cuba

The Mural de la Prehistoria is 2.5 miles west of the town of Viñales in the Pinar del Río province, Cuba. When I went to see this mural I had done zero research and thought it was some kind of prehistoric mural, painted by a prehistoric people. It’s not. Its a mural of prehistory, or at least the artists rendition, and no, it wasn’t a giant child’s finger-painting lesson using only primary colors. It was painted in 1961 by Leovigildo González Morillo, not a giant child, and even after being recently touched up, the grossly colored mural of giant snails and dinosaurs smeared onto the side of a mogote is definitely not worth the 1 cuc entrance fee, especially when the view outside the gates is a little better.

The good thing though, is the ride out to the mural is pretty cool. Leaving Viñales by bike is probably the best option; you ride down a nicely paved and relatively flat road through the Viñales Valley. Depending on the season there are either fields of corn or tobacco. I rented a bike from a local for 3 cuc, but it was really a horrible bike and I would recommend going through a legit bike rental agency, I saw their bikes, they looked way better.

After you ride through a valley of mogotes, which are giant hills of limestone, and arrive at the entrance to the mural, skip entering unless you are really thirsty. There is a bar with refreshments and a restaurant, but the view of the mural does not improve the closer you get. The lawn in front of the mural is nice if you are set on taking a rest.

If you get stranded at the mural, maybe the chain on the bike you rented from a local snaps or you are just too tired from the heat and humidity to make the 2.5 mile ride back, it is possible to get a ride back to Viñales on one of the tour buses that routinely visit the mural.