100 years since the discovery of the cave paintings of Villar del Humo

Image | Discover Cuenca

In 2017, one hundred years have passed since the discovery of the cave paintings of Villar del Humo, in the province of Cuenca. A find made by Enrique O'Kelly back in 1917 and that a few years later were already part of an important national exhibition of prehistoric art that took place in Madrid.

Perhaps not many know the treasure that Villar del Humo keeps, but a visit to Cuenca capital is worth it to also see the twelve sites of rock art from the Holocene (the period after the glaciation) that could be billions of years old. Anyone who comes here will be astonished to contemplate the hundreds and hundreds of cave paintings discovered that have been included since 1998 in the UNESCO World Heritage list..

Specialists point out that the place where these cave paintings are found may have been a sanctuary. The figures drawn (deer, archers, bovids or caprids) transfer to another world, a magical and bucolic one that captivates the visitor. Not surprisingly, they are considered among the top ten in Spain.

Image | Discover Cuenca

How to know these cave paintings?

To celebrate the first centenary of this discovery, this year a virtual reality mobile application has been launched that allows us to ride a horse for six minutes and enjoy the paintings from any corner of the planet.

However, knowing things in person is always better because you can enjoy not only rock art but also the natural environment of Cuenca. There are native companies that organize guided tours, although if we want to go on our own, a visit to the «Sierra de las Cuerdas» Rock Art Interpretation Center cannot be missed.

Here the historical context of the cave paintings that we are going to see nestled in the pine forests of the area will be explained in depth, which belong to Levantine art (the oldest and figurative style) and to schematic art (the most recent and abstract).

We can get to the place of the paintings by car on a dirt road and then walk to visit the different shelters. Currently, for conservation reasons, the cave paintings of Villar del Humo are protected by fences and bars that are not possible to penetrate.

In spite of everything, the paintings are overwhelming due to that mixture of talent and artistic sense that those human beings already possessed from the earliest times. Masterpieces embodied in shallow shelters and shelters that represent a tribute to timeless beauty.

Image | Discover Cuenca

Routes to see cave paintings

There are different ways to see the cave paintings of Villar del Humo, but taking a route is the best option., not only to know this ancient art but to enjoy the beautiful landscape of Cuenca.

There are companies in the area that offer good routes at very interesting prices so we recommend that you consider this option if you are thinking of taking an excursion to the place. From Actualidad Viajes We want to propose the following:

Pascuala Route

Located in the shelter of Selva Pascuala, these cave paintings were chosen as the most important of their style on the continent. Some of them correspond to the most emblematic scenes of Levantine rock art.

The Pascuala route takes two hours to complete and during the visit we can see the shelter of La Rambla, characterized by having schematic representations such as El sol and La mano. There are experts who say that these paintings had a spiritual background and were part of shamanic rituals, although their meaning is unknown.

Image | RTVE

Barrachina Route

Indicated for those who want to contemplate Levantine rock art. The itinerary lasts 4 hours and includes the following places:

  • Peña of the Written: The forestry engineer Enrique O'Kelly discovered them in 1917 in some rocky shelters. It features naturalistic representations of humans and animals from the Mesolithic (10.000 BC) along with symbolic representations of the Neolithic (6.500 BC).
  • Jungle Pascuala: Here scenes of hunting and animal domestication appear, something unique in the world. These cave paintings were chosen as the most representative of Levantine art.
  • Barrachina Tower: This defensive tower of Mozarabic origin guarded the ancient passages between kingdoms with its impressive height of 12 meters. This tower was of great importance in La Reconquista.

What other treasures does Cuenca conserve?

But rock art is not the only surprise that awaits visitors in the area. We also find a dozen Celtiberian forts still unexcavated, Visigoth burials and the Mozarabic Barrachina tower, from the 2018th century, which will be restored in XNUMX.


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