ROCK SHELTERS OF THE VALLEY OF LAS RAPACES IN CABEZA DEL BUEY

We are at the easternmost point of the province of Badajoz, on the southern slope of the Sierra del Pedregoso (a foothill of the Sierra Morena), not far from the Zújar river basin. This is a unique location, a meeting point for various ecosystems and regions, including those of Extremadura, Andalusia and La Mancha. From here, we overlook vast areas of the regions of La Serena, La Siberia and, above all, the Cordoba region of Los Pedroches, which stretches out at the foot of the rock shelters we are about to visit. We are on a hillside with abundant scree slopes of quartzite rocks, covered in low scrub, with rockroses and a few scattered holm oaks. At the foot of the slope, beside the river, there are some olive groves, and on the other side, extensive pastures with grasslands and holm oaks where livestock graze. Above us, numerous birds and rock-dwelling birds of prey; it is no wonder this is a favourable habitat for the golden eagle, the Bonelli’s eagle, kites and the Egyptian vulture. Not far away, in areas of grassland or cereal fields, we can spot steppe birds such as great bustards or cranes, the latter during their seasonal migrations at the start of spring and autumn.

The mountain ranges surrounding Cabeza del Buey are home to a high concentration of prehistoric sites. Rock shelters and small cavities contain both evidence of human habitation and rock art. The oldest documented remains date back to the Early Palaeolithic, mainly stone tools attributed to Neanderthal populations, which have been recovered in the areas now covered by the La Serena reservoir. From the Neolithic and the Copper and Bronze Ages, rock art is the main record of what appears to have been an intense occupation of the area, particularly given that almost a hundred sites feature paintings from the Schematic cycle, spread across the Tiros, Rinconada and Pedregoso mountain ranges. Geometric figures, stylised representations of animals, plants and humans, and symbolic elements are the most frequent motifs in a pictorial record executed predominantly in shades of red ochre and, more occasionally, in black or even in limonite yellow or kaolin white. The megalithic architecture of the early farmers is exemplified by the Cerroloboso corridor dolmen, dating from the transition between the Neolithic and the Copper Age. Human remains were recovered from within, accompanied by a rich grave goods collection comprising necklace beads, votive axes, arrowheads, flint knives and shells, which illustrate the ritual and social practices of its builders. On the same hill where this dolmen is located, there is a settlement with Neolithic huts of circular plan, rock engravings and even a prehistoric altar. Dating from the Bronze Age, some 3,000 years ago, is the Warrior Stele of the Sierra de Tiros, found at the site known as ‘El Palacio’ and currently on display at the Provincial Museum of Archaeology in Badajoz.