CUEVA DE ARDALES

A few kilometres from the city centre, the cave of Ardales was discovered in 1821 thanks to a small earthquake that cleared its entrance. The cavities, dug by thermal waters, form a maze of 1,500 m long that was explored by Abbé Breuil in 1918. Traces of habitat have been found about 100 metres from the mouth, but it is likely that this cave was only used as a temporary camp during hunting periods. Engravings and paintings have been found all over the cave, even in the darkest places. Hollowed and fuel-filled stalagmites, usually made from beeswax, animal fat and olive oil, were used to light the passages. For inaccessible areas, pieces of rope caught in the rock have also been found. A total of 107 drawings dated from the Gravettian and Solutrean, and more than a hundred symbols, have been counted. Among the most important representations: a large deer with red legs, coloured by a mixture of resin and clay, and a silhouette that could be that of a woman, as well as many hands in negative. Notable fact: most of the engravings were made not with a tool but with a fingertip.

It is more of a cultural than a tourist visit. Equip yourself with very good adherent shoes, the slopes are steep. Starting point for the visits: the Prehistoric Centre, an orange building (av. de Malaga, 1).