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Encontramos la cueva, cerca de la cual hay un manantial oculto.

Encontramos la cueva, cerca de la cual hay un manantial oculto.
We found the cave, near which there is a hidden spring.
From Lesson 333:Complex relative pronouns (el que, el cual)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Encontramos la cueva, cerca de la cual hay un manantial oculto.

Why do we use la cual here instead of just que?
You cannot use just que after a multi-word preposition like cerca de. While simple prepositions like en, de, or con can sometimes be followed directly by que, compound prepositions require the definite article plus the relative pronoun to be grammatically correct.
Could I use la que instead of la cual in this sentence?
Yes, cerca de la que is also perfectly correct and means the exact same thing. Using la cual just sounds a little bit more formal or written, which fits the slightly literary tone of discovering a hidden spring.
Why is it la cual and not lo cual?
The relative pronoun has to match the gender and number of the specific noun it refers back to. Since it refers to la cueva (a feminine, singular noun), it must be la cual. You would only use the neuter lo cual if you were referring back to a whole idea, action, or situation rather than a specific physical object.
Doesn't encontramos mean 'we find' in the present tense?
It means both! For regular -ar verbs, the 'we' form is exactly the same in both the present tense and the preterite past tense. You have to rely on context to know which one it is. In this case, reporting the discovery of a cave naturally leans toward the past tense.

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