Within the properties of José Manuel Cortina was this cave, with a history ranging from the presence of Aboriginal people to the visit of personalities such as Cirilo Villaverde. The cave owes its name to two ogival-shaped naves of a great gothic cathedral, passing underneath the first the crystalline Caiguanabo river. In 1940, the conditioning of this espelunca and of the neighboring cavern, Los Espejos, began, making sidewalks, ramps, grilles, handrails and a bridge to cross the river, with the purpose of converting them into zones of enjoyment. In 1959, during a visit made by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz accompanied by Celia Sánchez and Antonio Núñez Jiménez, the idea arose to turn the Los Portales cave into a public place for the recreation of the nearby town.

During the thirty-two days of the October Crisis in 1962, Commander Ernesto Guevara de la Serna established there the command of the army and still remains in the place, the construction of masonry that was his place of work. The cavern was declared a "National Monument" on June 25, 1978 and is located within the facilities of the popular campsite of the same name.