REPLICA OF THE ALTAMIRA CAVE

The cave itself consists of a 270-metre-long gallery flanked by a number of smaller rooms and galleries. If you can't see the originals, you'll be able to understand exactly how our ancestors lived. The first zone is the mouth of the cave. This is where the occupants of Altamira lived. Numerous archaeological remains have been found here: bones, tools, remains of fireplaces, etc. The next large room, where the light was already gone, is home to the famous polychrome bison. There are over twenty of them in all, all in different positions, exploiting the ceiling's relief, hollows and cavities to give them shape, volume or an impression of movement. Some of the drawings are complemented by engravings, which also create shadows cleverly designed to give the bison the desired appearance. Alongside the bison are horses, deer and two wild boars, a rare sight in Paleolithic times.
The rest of the cave also features a number of paintings, though less noteworthy than those in the bison room. As you progress through the gallery, you come to the corridor of tectiforms, a series of roof-like signs studied by Abbé Breuil. The gallery ends with the galerie des cerfs, where a large number of these animals are depicted on the walls.