LA PEÑA DE CANDAMO CAVE

Google Maps:
43.457111, -6.072583

Type of site:
Cave and Visitors' Centre

Place of location: Limestone hill 200m above sea level, overlooking the large Nalón Valley. On the road from Grullos to Peñaullán (AS-236).
Village/Town: San Román de Candamo
Municipality: Candamo (Asturias)
Region: Principado de Asturias
State: Spain
Telephone: (+34) 985 829 702, (+34) 985 828 056, (+34) 985 828 351
Website: https://www.turismoasturias.es/descubre/cultura/arte-rupestre/rupestre-cueva-de-la-pena-de-candamo
E-mail: adl@ayto-candamo.es

Natural Environment:

The cave is located at the top of a limestone hill above the valley of the River Nalón, in a typical landscape of deciduous woodland, meadows, and small villages scattered across the valley.

Archaeological evidences in the site:

Nalon Valley host one of the most important concentration of Palaeolithic sites of the Cantabrian Region, with caves and rock-shelters very well known like San Román de Candamo, La Viña, Las Caldas, Lluera I and II, Santo Adriano, El Conde, etc., etc. Ten caves at least preserve rock art manifestations. The labelled “Style of Nalon”, composed of engravings located in the vestibules of the caves and shelters, is very appreciate by archaeologists and rock art supporters. Hinds, aurochs, goats and horses are represented by a very few deep lines carved in the limestone.

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Opening Times:

Easter week and from 15th June to 15th Septembre 2017. Closed on Mondays.

Booking and access:

Advance booking required. The minimum age to access the Cave is 7 years. The entrance is free. Before the visit to the cave, one must come to the Center of Interpretation of the Cavern located in the Valdés-Bazán Palace in San Román where they are offered guide tours one hour before the concerted to visit the cave. Visits can be booked at Candamo Town Hall. +34 985828056. // +34 985828351

Nearby cultural destinations:

Los Dolores Chapel, in Grado. Ethnographic Museum, in Grado.

Nearby natural destinations:

La Mesa Royal Road. From Grado, this cart track follows the crest of Porcabezas and La Mesa hills to Torrestío in the Province of León. The Nalón Valley.

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

Age of the artistic representations:

Late Solutrean and early Magdalenian.

General description of the destination:

This is one of the main rock art sites in northern Spain. The entrance passage leads to a large chamber with the Wall of Engravings and the Small Chamber. Animal figures and signs are painted in red, black and sienna, accompanied by engravings and areas of scrapings. It is located at the base of a limestone hill and consists of a small gallery that opens into a large chamber, totalling around 70 metres in length. The cave and its paintings must have had a ritual magical sense according to the usual interpretations of this type of art. Futhermore, virtually no remains or utensils indicative of the cave having been inhabited were found inside. Outstanding among the rock art is the Wall of Prints, which has the largest number of images and the most complex organization with overlapping, and the so-called Little Chamber, a high concavity hollow with representations of horses and cattle, arranged to be seen from the chamber itself, which demonstrates a clear perception of attractive scenic design.

History of the site:

The scientific discovery of the site took place in 1914, by two independent prehistorians: E. Hernández Pacheco and Count Vega del Sella. They explored the cave and documented its rock art in 1915.

Museographic resources description:

Candamo Cave Interpretation Centre and Educational Exhibition is located in the restored Valdes-Bazán Mansion, a magnificent example of 17th-century civil architecture, where full-scale reproductions of the treasures of the cavern are on display, together with a multimedia system which explains the cave and rock art in northern Spain. It is open from Wednesday to Sunday. October closed. This Visitor Centre is in the Palace of Valdés Bazán, in San Román de Candamo. Panels give information about human evolution and the cultural periods in the Palaeolithic. The rock art in the cave is explained, with reproductions of the paintings and engravings. An audiovisual presentation informs about the cave and its importance.