Last summer I had the pleasure of visiting Spain. The highlight for me was visiting Cueva de la Pileta, one of the many caves in the Andalusia province.
Recent history of the cave only dates back to the beginning of the 20th century when a rancher rediscovered the cave. Since then, archaeologists have determined that the cave was used by Cro Magnon man 25,000 years ago, and subsequently was the home of neolithic people around 10,000 years ago.
The cave is in a sort of remote area, off the beaten track. The family of the rancher that discovered it still operates the site (it's on private land). Other than a small souvenir stand at the entrance and some rudimentary steps that have been carved in various places throughout the cave, it is nearly unchanged from prehistoric times. You can see incredible cave paintings from both paleolithic and neolithic peoples that used the cave.
Normally visitors to the cave are shepherded through in groups of 15 or more. Incredibly, because we arrived first and there were no other visitors that day, my wife and I were given a private tour, led by the granddaughter of the cave's modern discoverer.
There is no fixed lighting at all inside the cave. The whole tour of the cave system is done by the light of a couple of Coleman lanterns. The guide carried one and she gave the other to me. Imagine for a moment incredibly detailed deptictions of game animals dancing in the flickering lantern light. Every chamber you enter is filled with new wonders. Beyond the clearly identifiable animals, strangely cryptic pictographs and symbols adorn the walls. The guide stops periodically to explain what you are seeing and answer questions.
The caves were created by an underground river. The guide explains that there is only one entrance/exit. It seems that the chamber closest to the entrance is where people lived when people inhabited the cave. Carved into the solid rock floor in the living area is a pit where the inhabitants cooked their food. The depression in the rock is barely deeper or wider than a cereal bowl. The hole and the surrounding rock are blackened with thousands of years of carbon. So is the ceiling. There was no where for the smoke to go. The entire room must have been impossibly thick with smoke when food was being cooked.
The trail through the cave twists and winds, now rising, now falling. Sometimes you have to crouch down to move from one room to the next. At the point where we pass the living area and the firepit the walking trail is slightly lower than the pit. As I passed I couldn't resist. I reached out and gently stuck my hand in the pit of the 25,000 year old smoker. How many tens of thousands of meals were prepared on this hearth? How many joys and sorrows were marked as our BBQ ancestors lived huddled against the cold in the depths of the earth, warmed only by the meager fire in this little pit?
If you're ever in Andalusia, take a giant step out of your mind and visit Cuevas Piletas!
Recent history of the cave only dates back to the beginning of the 20th century when a rancher rediscovered the cave. Since then, archaeologists have determined that the cave was used by Cro Magnon man 25,000 years ago, and subsequently was the home of neolithic people around 10,000 years ago.
The cave is in a sort of remote area, off the beaten track. The family of the rancher that discovered it still operates the site (it's on private land). Other than a small souvenir stand at the entrance and some rudimentary steps that have been carved in various places throughout the cave, it is nearly unchanged from prehistoric times. You can see incredible cave paintings from both paleolithic and neolithic peoples that used the cave.
Normally visitors to the cave are shepherded through in groups of 15 or more. Incredibly, because we arrived first and there were no other visitors that day, my wife and I were given a private tour, led by the granddaughter of the cave's modern discoverer.
There is no fixed lighting at all inside the cave. The whole tour of the cave system is done by the light of a couple of Coleman lanterns. The guide carried one and she gave the other to me. Imagine for a moment incredibly detailed deptictions of game animals dancing in the flickering lantern light. Every chamber you enter is filled with new wonders. Beyond the clearly identifiable animals, strangely cryptic pictographs and symbols adorn the walls. The guide stops periodically to explain what you are seeing and answer questions.
The caves were created by an underground river. The guide explains that there is only one entrance/exit. It seems that the chamber closest to the entrance is where people lived when people inhabited the cave. Carved into the solid rock floor in the living area is a pit where the inhabitants cooked their food. The depression in the rock is barely deeper or wider than a cereal bowl. The hole and the surrounding rock are blackened with thousands of years of carbon. So is the ceiling. There was no where for the smoke to go. The entire room must have been impossibly thick with smoke when food was being cooked.
The trail through the cave twists and winds, now rising, now falling. Sometimes you have to crouch down to move from one room to the next. At the point where we pass the living area and the firepit the walking trail is slightly lower than the pit. As I passed I couldn't resist. I reached out and gently stuck my hand in the pit of the 25,000 year old smoker. How many tens of thousands of meals were prepared on this hearth? How many joys and sorrows were marked as our BBQ ancestors lived huddled against the cold in the depths of the earth, warmed only by the meager fire in this little pit?
If you're ever in Andalusia, take a giant step out of your mind and visit Cuevas Piletas!
