MEGALITHIC ROCK ART OF COMBRANDA

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Type of site:
Megalithic rock art

Place of location: Combranda
Village/Town: Toranzo
Municipality: Vega de Liébana (Cantabria)
Region: Cantabria
State: Spain
Website: https://www.prehistour.eu/carp-guide/megalithic-rock-art-of-combranda

Natural Environment:

The area of high mountain pastures of Sierra Bora, in the municipality of Vega de Liébana (south of Liébana), hosts a rich biodiversity characteristic of the Picos de Europa, the great mountain range of the Cantabrian region of the Iberian Peninsula. Bears, chamois, deer and the last capercaillies in Spain populate these places where the first livestock activity in the region took place.

Archaeological evidences in the site:

The region of Liébana preserves an abundant archaeological record from prehistoric times. In the caves and shelters of the gorge that communicates this area with the Cantabrian coast there are numerous vestiges of mountain goat hunters from the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic, including a cave with red paintings from the pre-Magdalenian period (Cueva Aurea). But the most abundant prehistoric element in the area are the megalithic monuments and the first peasant settlements, from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods.

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Opening Times:

There is a trekking route to Combranda from the village of La Vega (there is a tourism office opened in summer). This route goes on a mountain trail from the little and picturesque village of Toranzo and offer us beautiful natural landscapes and several megalithic elements.

Booking and access:

Nearby cultural destinations:

Typical villages of Vega de Liébana (with lots Natural and Cultural Heritage), Historical village of Potes (capital of Liebana region), Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana (one of the 4 sacred Jubilees of Christianity), Middle Age churches of Santa María de Lebeña and Santa María de Piasca.

Nearby natural destinations:

Picos de Europa mountains (National Park), Cableway of Fuente Dé, Visitor centre of the Natural Park of Picos de Europa in Cillorigo de Liébana ( https://parquenacionalpicoseuropa.es/english/ )

Accommodations (Tourism Website):
http://vegadeliebana.com/directorio-turistico/
Restaurants (Tourism Website):
http://vegadeliebana.com/directorio-turistico/

Age of the artistic representations:

Neolithic/Chalcolithic period

General description of the destination:

Combranda offers a large megalithic necropolis with artistic activity on one of its large slabs, all within a high mountain cultural landscape that dates back to the beginning of the Neolithic period of the Cantabrian coast. It is ideal to have an archaeo-trekking experience in the heart of the Picos de Europa region.

History of the site:

The Megalithic phenomenon in Liebana was known by local populations who developed plenty of legends around the origin of these elements. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, the local researcher Gonzalo Gómez Casado, showed this heritage to different archaeological teams from the University of Cantabria. The team developed the catalogue of the elements and began the archaeological research of the main items as the megalithic assemblage of Peña Oviedo.