RINCON DE LA ZORRA ROCK-SHELTER IN LA HOZ DE LA VIEJA

Google Maps:
40.928048364560276, -0.8445163191141636

Type of site:
Rock-Shelter

Place of location: Rincón de la Zorra
Village/Town: La Hoz de la Vieja
Municipality: La Hoz de la Vieja (Teruel)
Region: Aragón
State: Spain
Website: https://artpoints.prehistour.eu/points/51

Natural Environment:

The Rincón de la Zorra rock shelter is a jewel of 8,000-year-old prehistoric Levantine rock art. It is located very close to the village of La Hoz de la Vieja, in the province of Teruel, in the Cuencas Mineras region. The present-day landscape consists of arid terrain dotted with rocky outcrops and ravines. In the distance, cultivated fields and the road running through the gorge can be seen. The highly resistant dolomitic rocks form elongated ridges, such as the one rising above the village, crowned by a medieval tower. In these mountains, vultures can often be seen soaring overhead. Forests are scarce, limited to a dense holm oak grove around the Armillas River and a few pine woods on the outskirts of the municipality of Obón. The rest of the area is covered by grasslands and extensive fields of gorse, a common thorny shrub. On the ridges, a few junipers can occasionally be seen, along with frequent rosemary bushes.

Archaeological evidences in the site:

La Hoz de la Vieja is a village of medieval origin, strategically situated at the point where three ravines meet: the Chorredero, the Vadiello and the Barranquiello. Here, the River Armillas forms a ‘hoz’, a small, curved, narrow and steep gorge. The name ‘Hoz’ refers to this steep gorge, a natural pass that has been crucial since prehistoric times, both for territorial control and as a vantage point for hunting. The nickname ‘de la Vieja’ does not mean ‘ancient’, but derives from the Aragonese term ‘rubiello’, meaning ‘reddish’, in reference to the colour of the rocks in the area. In the Middle Ages it was known as ‘Foz Rubiella’. Over time, ‘Rubiella’ evolved into “Viella” and finally into ‘Vieja’. The importance of this pass is also reflected in the medieval tower in the area. Built in 1363 during the War of the Two Peters, it was an initiative by the local residents themselves to avoid paying the taxes demanded of them by the Community of Villages of Teruel for using Montalbán Castle in times of danger. Beneath this tower, the remains of an Iberian and a Roman fortification have been found, both built with the same aim of controlling this pass. A narrow pass that has been strategic since prehistoric times and which explains the location of the rock shelter with cave paintings.

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Opening Times:

Open year-round

Booking and access:

Admission is free and no tickets are required. The site is not suitable for people with reduced mobility, as it involves a hike along a mid-mountain trail. There is parking for cars and coaches at the municipal sports centre, which is situated at the foot of the rock shelter, next to the A-222 road.

Nearby cultural destinations:

Church of Our Lady of the Snows
https://www.sipca.es/censo/7-INM-TER-026-124-001/Iglesia/de/Nuestra/Se%C3%B1ora/de/las/Nieves.html
Hoz de la Vieja Tower
https://www.sipca.es/censo/1-INM-TER-026-124-002/Torre.html
Iberian settlement
https://www.hozdelavieja.com/municipio/que-ver/poblado-ibero
Arab pottery workshop
https://www.hozdelavieja.com/municipio/que-ver/alfar-arabe-o-tejeria

Nearby natural destinations:

Trails through the Chorredero and Barranquillo ravines, the ascent to Castillo and Peña de la Cingla, and walks to places such as Carrascal. Other points of natural and scenic interest are Sima del Hierro, the Arab pottery workshop, the peirones (stone crosses) and the remains of the Iberian settlement in Pozuelo. https://www.hozdelavieja.com/municipio/que-hacer/naturaleza-y-rutas

Accommodations (Tourism Website):
https://www.hozdelavieja.com/municipio/alojamientos
Restaurants (Tourism Website):
https://www.hozdelavieja.com/bar-la-replazeta

Age of the artistic representations:

It is a Levantine-style painted panel, estimated to be around 8,000 years old.

General description of the destination:

The paintings are located to the north of the village, on the same rocky escarpment where the La Hoz tower stands, and just above the road leading to Cortes de Aragón and Muniesa. This mountain range, which rises some 110 metres above the road, is elongated in shape and ends abruptly at the gorge carved out by the River Armillas. The paintings are on a small panel, at the foot of a rocky outcrop some 40 metres high, beneath a small natural overhang that protects them. Here, a small shelter is formed that offers barely any protection. This small panel, recently protected by a fence, allows visitors to view around ten figures in varying states of preservation. Among them, the figure of an archer stands out due to its size and extraordinary state of preservation. The highlight of this site is the extraordinary large archer, 35 centimetres tall, a size larger than usual. It is located in the upper part of the shelter, beneath a small overhang formed by the rock, easily visible above the fence. He is a typical Levantine archer, with his legs spread wide in a running stance and a long bow at waist height. His legs are disproportionately thick, and appear to be adorned with a decoration or binding, perhaps gaiters. He carries what appear to be two bows—something quite extraordinary—and a bundle of arrows. His body is stylised, with a triangular chest and a round head. In the lower right-hand corner, with great difficulty, another figure can be made out, possibly another archer in a very poor state of preservation. It shares the same stylistic features of thick, splayed legs, a triangular chest and a stylised body, and holds an elongated, curved object, probably a bow. Although the torso alone measures 27 cm, the complete figure could have stood half a metre tall. Both figures are typical representations of Levantine art, very similar to those found in other areas of the Spanish Levant, such as in the nearby town of Obón, in the Martín River Cultural Park. Below the first archer, there are three other figures. In the centre, a female figure wearing a skirt from which hangs a sort of fringe or belt. With thick legs and a round head, she appears to be holding her hands out in front of her as if she were holding an object or working. On either side, there are two badly deteriorated figures. On the right, a possible archer, and on the left, a very small figure, perhaps a child or an archer, who seems to be bending down to pick up an elongated object. To the left of the panel, there are further figures that are extremely blurred and difficult to identify. The paintings are in the Levantine style and mainly depict human figures, including men armed with bows and women wearing skirts. They were executed using red pigments, made from iron oxides mixed with animal fats, applied with the fingers or rudimentary brushes.

History of the site:

The paintings at Rincón de la Zorra Rockshelter were discovered recently, in 2023. It was a local resident, Jesús Español Luengo, who found them during one of his regular walks in the countryside. The shelter owes its name to how it is known After the discovery, a team of experts from the Antonio Beltrán Rock Art Center at the Río Martín Cultural Park was responsible for the initial documentation and study of the site. The team consisted of Juan Francisco Ruiz, José Royo, Fernando Galve, Camila Ortiz, and Juan Carlos Gordillo. Afterwards, a protective fence and an information panel with tracings of the figures were installed. Initial studies estimate that the paintings are about 8,000 years old and belong to an early phase of Levantine Art.

RINCON DE LA ZORRA ROCK-SHELTER IN LA HOZ DE LA VIEJA

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