"[7] Two sets of plans were drawn up between 1885 and 1886 by Spanish engineer Rafael Ravena,[5] working for the Spanish government, for a lighthouse on the eastern side of Mona Island to help mark Mona Passage, which runs between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

One set of plans called for a massive masonry structure with twenty five rooms for three keepers, families and supplies and a light with a range of 22 miles.

[8] The second set of plans called for an iron tower with a separate living quarters for one keeper and his family.

[9] The 1.1 miles (1.8 km) long narrow-gauge Mona Island Tramway had a gauge of 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in).

Goods were carried through the cave, and then hauled by a stubborn donkey on a canopy-covered wagon along a 6000 ft long track to the lighthouse.