ROCK ART IN LAS VILLUERCAS, CUEVA CHIQUITA ROCK-SHELTER

Google Maps:
39.39055, -5.39236

Tipo de sitio:
Rock-Shelters

Lugar de localización: Cueva Chiquita
Localidad: Cañamero
Municipio: Cañamero (Cáceres)
Región: Extremadura
País: España
Página Web: https://www.geoparquevilluercas.es/centro-de-interpretacion/centro-de-interpretacion-de-la-arqueologiaberzocana/ http://www.villuercas.net/canamero/contenidos/patrimonio-pinturas-rupestres.php

Entorno Natural:

In the heart of Las Villuercas region, one of the most spectacular parts of the region, with well-conserved Mediterranean woodland and impressive mountain ranges with some of the highest peaks in Extremadura.

Evidencias arqueológicas del sitio:

The Villuercas region has an important Archaeological context, from the Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages. The most important record is foccused on Recent Prehistory, especially the Bronze and Iron Ages, with many remains of daily file and personal adornments of gold. Roman evidences are important too, like the roman villae of Valhondo. Rock Art is an important reference point and includes Palaeolithic engravings in the Mina de Ibor cave and especially a lot of decorated rock-shelters with a large number of representantions of Schematic Art.

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Horarios de apertura:

It is open every day. The park is designed so that you can drive in with your car and leave it in the parking spaces available at each stop. There are observatories at each point of interest. We recommend going to the interpretation centre first and choosing a route on foot to enter nature.

Acceso y reservas:

https://www.geoparquevilluercas.es/contact/?lang=en

Destinos culturales cercanos:

Monastery of Guadalupe (15 km). Trujillo (55 km). Mérida (95 km). Cáceres (80 km).

Destinos naturales cercanos:

All the destinations of the Geopark of Villuercas: https://www.geoparquevilluercas.es/geosites/?lang=en

Alojamientos (Web turística):
https://www.viajarporextremadura.com/cubic/ap/es.php/27/Caceres/Las-Villuercas / http://www.geoturismoenlasvilluercas.com/alojamientos-geoparque-villuercas-ibores-jara.html
Restaurantes (Web turística):
https://www.extremadura.com/paginas/geoparque-villuercas-ibores-jara-extremadura-caceres/donde-comer

Cronología de las representaciones rupestres:

Schematic rock art. Neolithic to Bronze Age.

Descripción general del destino:

The Cueva Chiquita is one of the most important rock art sites in Extremadura. Located on the banks of the Ruecas River, we find this cave shelter that presents more than a hundred motifs in several panels that exploit the fragmentation of the rock for their delimitation. Wrapped in dragon legends, Cueva Chiquita presents a multitude of symbols that are interpreted as schematic representations of humans (anthropomorphic), as well as animals (zoomorphic) and signs composed essentially of linear lines and points.

Historia del sitio:

Cueva Chiquita was known by local populations since ever and they believed that it was the refugee of dragons and/or snakes. In 1918, the great archaeologist Henri Breuil described the site and its graphic record. In 2008 the site was cleaned, studied and adapted to receive visitors by a team of the University of Extremadura under the direction of doctors José Julio García-Arranz and Hipólito Collado.

Descripción de los recursos museográficos:

There are several interpretation centres in the Geoparque Villuercas-Ibores-Jara (https://www.geoparquevilluercas.es/?lang=en ). The Interpretation Centre of Archaeology, in Berzocana, was inaugurated in 2013. The top floor has numerous panels with a wide archaeological information that explains the history of the peoples and lands of the geoparque along the principal historical periods. Taking advantage of the darkness and the general environment of the semibasement, we find a reproduction cave with an interesting audio-visual about the rock art sites in the Geoparque.