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Monday 3rd of October 2016
Chris Scaife, Carolina Smith, Pete Smith, Andy Quinn, Peter and Laura (geologists from Lancaster University), Chuchi (Spanish archaeologist) and friend, two people from CulturaCarol and I took advantage of a rare opportunity to visit this cave, which is quite difficult to get permission for and is behind a locked gate. We went as a team of ten, up the hillside near Agua.
A short distance inside, still in daylight, Andy, Peter, Laura and the Cultura club gathered samples from a dig, which has produced several Neanderthal artefacts. They dug through several strata and found a few bones and teeth.
Chuchi and his friend had a short trip looking around the cave.
I stayed with Carol and Pete, investigating the many cave paintings on the walls. We took photographs and measurements of a number of these markings. The cave has impressive formations and is full of archaeological interest: as well as the cave paintings there are numerous animal bones, including bear skulls; there is bronze age pottery on the floor in several places, and a calcified basket.
I took some photos, but had to promise not to put them online, so we’ll just have to have a private slide show.
As someone who took part in the archaeological excavation (sounds cool, it’s not, I was in charge of clearing mud with a toothbrush…) I would like to point out that the cave was used since Neanderthal times to Medieval times (probably as the first church of the valley). Next to the calcified basket at the end of the cave there were some grains (old cultivars of wheat and millet) which have been dated to 0-1 CE, which suggests it was part of a Roman harvest offering to the Gods (according to Chuchi, the lead archaeologist of the dig).
There is another cave in Matienzo with paintings (clearer, as far as I remember, I was 14 the last time I went), but I’m afraid it is also locked. Too valuable to keep open, but not good enough to show to the public (according to the Cantabrian government…).
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