| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
.png) Location of monte Castillo inCantabria | |
| Location | Puente Viesgo,Cantabria,Spain |
| Part of | Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain |
| Includes | |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i), (iii) |
| Reference | 310bis |
| Inscription | 1985 (9thSession) |
| Extensions | 2008 |
| Buffer zone | 275.72 ha (681.3 acres)[citation needed] |
| Coordinates | 43°17′28″N3°57′51″W / 43.29111°N 3.96417°W /43.29111; -3.96417 |
  Caves of Monte Castillo Location of Caves of Monte Castillo in Spain | |
TheCaves of Monte Castillo, located in the Cantabrian town ofPuente Viesgo, contain one of the most importantPaleolithic sites in the region. The complex ofkarstic caves is on the slopes of Monte Castillo, a hill south of Puente Viesgo, with an elevation of354 m.It includes four out of the eighteen caves listed asWorld Heritage ofUNESCO since July 2008 under the title ofCave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain:El Castillo,Las Chimeneas, andLa Pasiega andLas Monedas. In addition, the complex includes a minor fifth cave, La Flecha. The caves are located along the Pas river in the Castillo mountain, squarely at the intersection of three valleys and near the coast.
The El Castillo cave contains decorations inred ochre in the forms ofhand stencils dated to about 35,000. One red disk inEl Castillo has been dated to before 40,000 years ago in a 2012 study, making it the oldest known datedcave decoration.[1]The Cave of El Castillo was discovered in 1903 by Hermilio Alcalde del Río. It was first explored and excavated byHugo Obermaier.
The Cueva de Las Monedas was discovered in 1952. It was explored by Eduardo Ripoll Perelló (1923–2006).[2]The cave is named for a number of 16th-century coins found inside. The paintings in this cave date to the Magdalenian, about 13,000 years ago, depicting horses, goats, bears, bison and reindeer.
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