Prehistoric Rock Art Trails

LA LOJA CAVE

Google Maps:
43.331444, -4.559500

Type of site:
Cave

Place of location: Right bank of the Cares-Deva River
Village/Town: El Mazo
Municipality: Peñamellera Baja (Asturias)
Region: Principado de Asturias
State: Spain
Telephone: (+34) 985 414 297, (+34) 676 128 176, (+34) 985 41 40 08 (Peñamellera Council)
Website: https://www.aytopbpanes.es/cueva-de-la-loja / https://www.turismoasturias.es/descubre/cultura/arte-rupestre/rupestre-cueva-de-la-loja
E-mail: ayuntamiento@aytopanespbaja.com

Natural Environment:

Limestone cliff in the valley of the Cares-Deva River, on the eastern border of the province.

Archaeological evidences in the site:

Caves with Palaeolithic art in the valley of the Cares and Deva rivers.

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Opening Times:

It is open at Easter and in the summer. More Information: Tourism Office (Panes). The number of daily visitors is limited to 35 visitors in 6 groups. The tour is guided. The minimum age to access the Cave is 7 years.

Booking and access:

Booking by phone

Nearby cultural destinations:

Bolos Museum (2km away). Ruins of the medieval monastery of Santa María de Tina (Pimiango, 1km away). Indianos Archive in Colombres (8km away). El Pindal Cave (Pimiango, Ribadedeva. 14km away).

Nearby natural destinations:

Sierra del Cuera Protected Area (5km away). Natural Monument of Saucedas de Buelles (4km away). Picos de Europe Mountains.

Accommodations (Tourism Website):

Restaurants (Tourism Website):
https://www.turismoasturias.es/organiza-tu-viaje/donde-comer

Age of the artistic representations:

Magdalenian.

General description of the destination:

La Loja Cave is located on a rocky escarpment overlooking the valley on the banks of the River Deva. The cave is not known for its large size or its geological complexity. It is basically a ledge overlooking the river, behind which there is an entrance leading to a long gallery, narrow at some points, that disappears into the depths of the earth before resurfacing again.
The artistic manifestations on its walls are also attributed to Magdalenian period. These comprise animal representations: several bovine cattle and a horse. The main art in the cave is thus an impressive group of animals engraved on a natural outcrop of manganese. Red Palaeolithic paintings and black post-Palaeolithic figures.

History of the site:

The first cave containing Paleolithic art discovered in Asturias. La Loja Cave was reported as a prehistoric site in 1914, its Magdalenian archaeological deposits subsequently being reported in 1929 by the Count of La Vega del Sella.

Museographic resources description:

La Loja Educational Exhibition is located on the esplanade next to the cave entrance. The theme of the exhibition revolves around rock art in the aforementioned cave and the prehistoric riches of the borough. At the same time, it provides some general notions on Archaeology and Prehistory at the Asturian, Northern Spain and European levels.