In Spain, there are more than 100 sites with valuable rock engravings and cave paintings that form part of the Council of Europe's Prehistoric Rock Art Trails cultural route. These are the representations that, thousands of years ago, our ancestors drew on rocks in the open air and in caves like Altamira. This is an invitation to discover, with your own eyes, humanity's first works of art.
More than two million people visit these rock art sites every year. These cave paintings display figures and symbolic representations that constitute humanity's first significant cultural and social expression. They are fascinating drawings and artistic forms, both naturalistic and schematic or abstract, reflecting the beliefs, concerns, and daily lives of prehistoric people.
Spain is home to some of the most important rock art sites in Europe, often located in stunning natural settings. Furthermore, four major rock art areas are included on UNESCO's World Heritage List: the Altamira Cave and Paleolithic Rock Art of Northern Spain, the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin of the Iberian Peninsula, the Prehistoric Rock Art site of Siega Verde and the Cultural Landscape of Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria..
Through the 15 routes that have been designed, it is possible to discover the earliest art of humankind, scattered throughout almost all of Spain. Many are small sites, such as caves, rock shelters, or open-air rock faces, although you can also visit large museums, archaeological parks, and facilities that excellently reproduce rock art spaces without jeopardising the conservation of the original sites. The Prehistoric Rock Art Trails route is a spectacular journey back to our artistic origins. Welcome to the oldest "art galleries" in the world!
There are also initiatives that facilitate visits to these unique sites. This is the case, for example, with Art-Points, which offers audio guides at around fifty rock art sites that lack guides or cultural mediators. In this way, visitors have the educational support needed to identify and understand the unique characteristics of each site. Currently, the initiative is present in locations spread across municipalities in Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Cantabria, Castile-La Mancha, Castile and Leon, the Region of Valencia, Extremadura, La Rioja, the Basque Country and the Region of Murcia. We recommend consulting the website for all the latest information.
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