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The Gruta de Rumichaca is depicted on two stamps (Ecuador, 1955 & 1956; Scott C288 & C310, Stanley Gibbons 1052 & 1052a, Yvert et Tellier A285 & A285a). In a previous article published in this journal, I wrote that, according to Jean-Pierre Besson from Tarbes, France, there are two caves with the sane name, Rumichaca, and that the cave shown on the stamps was certainly not Rumichaca de Tulcan, the cave described in Strinati-Aellen's paper, but Rumichaca de la Paz.

During their 1984 Ecuador expedition, French cavers of the Societe de Speleologie et de Prehistoire des Pyrenees Occidentales, Pau, visited the two underground sites, mapping Rumichaca de la Paz and taking photographs of both caves.

Eric de Valicourt, member of the 1984 expedition - with Jean-Pierre Besson - sent me all the documentation presented here. He compared the stamps to his photographs of «les ponts naturels de Rumichaca», i.e. the natural bridge& of Rumichaca de Tulcan! near the Colombian border, 6 km NW of Tulcan, and found no correlation.

The other cave, la gruta de Rumichaca del V… is also located in the provincia de Carchi, at some 45km SSW of Tulcan. It is a limestone river cave going through the mountain. In the large downstream entrance of the cave an underground esplanade has been (recently?) built with an altar and a statue of the Holy Virgin. A road goes over the top of the cave and a parking lot has been installed for the pilgrims near the entrance.

But the stamps do not show this end of the cave, but the sinkhole (called perte on the French survey). The comparison with de Valicourt's photograph leaves no doubt, the stalactites being obviously the same.

... and the cave photographed by Eric de Valicourt 30 years later. The stalactites are still the same.

 

Pilgrims at the downstream entrance of the cave. (Photo by Eric de Valicourt)

References:

STRINATI (Pierre) & AELLEN (Villy) - 1960 - Les grottes figurees sur les timbres-paste, Rassegna Speleologica Italiana, vol. 12, p.53-54.

The South AImrican Handbook 1957-1958, London, p.464 & 489.

BESSON (Jean-Pierre), LERA (0.), de VALICOURT (Eric) - 1983 - Ecuador 82, expedition speleologique de la SSPPO, sui vi d'un pre-inventaire speleologique de l'Equateur, Pau, 169 p.

CRABERT (Jacques) - 1984 - The two grutas de Rumichaca : Which one is represented on the stamps 7, The Speleo Stamp Collector, 15.