ALCUDIA VALLEY: ROCK ART OF FUENCALIENTE AND LA BATANERA ROCK-SHELTERS

Google Maps:
38.424330, -4.281598

Type of site:
Rock-Shelters

Place of location: Peña Escrita
Village/Town: Fuencaliente
Municipality: Fuencaliente (Ciudad Real)
Region: Castilla-La Mancha
State: Spain
Telephone: (+34) 926 470 001
Website: https://cultura.castillalamancha.es/patrimonio/yacimientos-visitables/arte-rupestre-de-fuencaliente
E-mail: ayto_fuencaliente@dipucr.es

Natural Environment:

Steep quartzite mountains with predominantly Mediterranean vegetation.

Archaeological evidences in the site:

The visitable sites of Peña Escrita and La Batanera are located in the municipality of Fuencaliente and are one of the largest and best preserved sets of schematic style cave paintings in the Iberian Peninsula. They are shelters developed in quartzite rock located in the south of the province of Ciudad Real, in the foothills of Sierra Morena, at 920 m of altitude. They are made from clay rich in iron oxide and organic components of protein type, used as a binder. Other shelters or caves in the area are the sites of: Criadero de Los Lobos, Cueva de las Sierpes, Morrón del Pino, El Piruetenal, La Serrezuela, El Escorialejo, La Golondrina, Morrón del Pino, Cueva de Melitón, Los Gavilanes, El Monje, Solana del Navajo and El Piruetanal.

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Opening Times:

The sites are protected by fences and can be visited at any time, as the paintings can be easily viewed from the fences.

Booking and access:

Fuencaliente Tourist Office, c/ Mayor, 41, 13130 Fuencaliente (Ciudad Real). Phone: 926.47.02.88 / email: oficina.turismo@fuencaliente.es

Nearby cultural destinations:

Parish Church Nuestra Señora de los Baños. Monument to Nature. Hermitage of San Antonio. Ventilla Village. Fuencaliente Spa.

Nearby natural destinations:

La Cruz Viewing point. Fuente de San Benito Viewing point. La Batanera Natural Area. San Isidro Natural Area.

Accommodations (Tourism Website):
http://turismovalledealcudia.com/#!/catid=1;3;4;2 / http://www.turismocastillalamancha.es/alojamientos/
Restaurants (Tourism Website):
http://turismovalledealcudia.com/#!/catid=1;3;4;2 / http://www.turismocastillalamancha.es/restaurantes/

Age of the artistic representations:

Neolithic to Bronze Age.

General description of the destination:

Peña Escrita and La Batanera are signposted and accessible sites. Both sites can be visited by following different signposted routes. The site of El Morrón del Pino can be visited within one of the declared routes of the Route Network but it is still not signposted. The rest of the sites in the area are not signposted, in some cases their location is complex, so it is advisable to visit them with a guide. The representations consist mainly of anthropomorphs, zoomorphic figures, branching motifs and lines.

History of the site:

Several rock-shelters with paintings and engravings have been known since 1783.

Museographic resources description:

Signposting and didactic panels at both shelters (Peña Escrita and La Batanera). Some eco-routes in the region lead to the sites, and there are some companies with guides that offer special visits to the rock shelters (http://turismovalledealcudia.com/#!/catid=1;3;4;2 ).