EL CASTILLO CAVE

The paintings in the El Castillo cave were discovered in 1903, during the wave of research that followed the authentication of the Altamira paintings. From 1906, access was allowed to the public while the excavations were still in progress. As can be seen on the descent to the first room, the archaeologists have dug the ground to a great depth, 18 m below ground level at the time of discovery. The traces of occupation date back 200,000 years, and many traces of the passage of Neanderthal man have been found. As for the paintings, the oldest has been dated at 41,000 years, which implies that they could have been made by Neanderthals, although we have no way of proving this, as the cave was also occupied by Homo sapiens. It is in any case one of the few sites where all the different strata of occupation over such a long period of time are clearly visible.

Theparticularity of the El Castillo cave lies in the abundance of motifs painted there. Nearly 3,000 signs, drawings and motifs have been counted, with no less than 64 negative hands on a large panel, of which only 6 are left hands. About twenty anthropomorphic figures have also been counted. Among the animals, we note a bison with a low head, a bit like the bison of Altamira, horses, goats, aurochs or a mammoth. Note the amount of detail and curves as well as the use of cracks and volumes in the stone to give the animals more realism.

Every corner of the cave has been painted. In a recess, away from the central gallery, we find on the roof of a cavity about thirty hands and a bison. In another cavity there are a number of symbols obtained by aligning dots and forming geometric patterns that are impossible to interpret. The dots form like landmarks, at human height, all along the cave. Note their complex composition due to the internal fillings and segmentations.

Even if the El Castillo cave did not contain all these rock art treasures, it would still be worth a visit for its geological formations. These are indeed admirable all along the route with stalactites and stalagmites, curtains, natural sculptures and amazing colors ranging from white to black, gray or red.

The cave of El Castillo is part of the caves classified as World Heritage by UNESCO in 2008.