Rock Art

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN ANDALUCIA

ROCK ART IN ALMERIA, GRANADA AND JAEN

Categories Rock art, archaeological site (added to list in: 1998)

68 separate cave paintings in Velez-Blanco and Maria, Almeria; Almaciles and Huescar, Granada; Quesada, Pontones, Santiago de la Espada, Segura de la Sierra, Santisteban del Puerto and Aldeaquemada, Jaen

What UNESCO says: "The late prehistoric rock-art sites of the Mediterranean seaboard of the Iberian peninsula form an exceptionally large group. Here the way of life during a critical phase of human development is vividly and graphically depicted in paintings whose style and subject matter are unique."

 

What there is to see: Cueva de los Letreros in Velez-Blanco (Almeria) has 6,000-year-old paintings of animals, birds, symbols and human figures. This is where the "indalo", the stick man holding an arc over his head, used as Almeria province's symbol, was found. La Cueva del Gabar is nearby, but has difficult access and must be visited with a guide. Sadly, the local practice of throwing water on the paintings to bring out their colours has not helped their preservation.