The Cueva Pintada Archaeological Park and Museum (Museo y Parque Arqueológico Cueva Pintada) is located in the northern part of the island, in the town of Gáldar.
The town of Gáldar (Agaldar) was the capital of the ancient Guanche kingdom in the pre-Spanish period on Gran Canaria. The tuff cave in the northern territory of the island was accidentally discovered during agricultural works in 1873. Clay shards, vases, and fragments of human skeletons were found in the grotto. Possibly, this cave served as a necropolis for the Guanches, and the found objects were the last gifts to the deceased for the afterlife.
However, the most interesting find of this site was the rock painting. The unusual drawings on the walls of Cueva Pintada are different from all samples of cave art ever discovered on Earth. The bright, large-format ornaments in the form of a frieze are executed in mineral paints in a geometrically precise shape, unusual for rock paintings. Researchers suggest that these drawings could have served as a kind of calendar. A detailed description of the Cueva Pintada site was compiled by the French anthropologist René Verneau.
The drawings have been well preserved, but the cave walls gradually became cracked. In 1967, the restoration of the site began. Since 1982, the cave has been closed for visits, and new excavations have been carried out. It was discovered that the first grotto was part of a system of six interconnected caves.
The caves were reopened for tourists, turning them into a themed educational park. Today, at the Cueva Pintada Museum, you can see ancient finds and learn about the pre-Spanish history of Gran Canaria.
- Археологический парк и музей Пещера Пинтада
- Museo y Parque Arqueológico Cueva Pintada
- Адрес: Audiencia, 1, Gáldar, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, España
- GPS: 28,144016 -15,655121
