Monfragüe cave paintings route

Monfragüe National Park is one of the areas of the Iberian Peninsula with the highest densities of schematic rock art. Many of these paintings are unique in their composition and state of preservation.

There are currently 114 documented rock shelters in Monfragüe, of which 74 are located in the municipal district of Serradilla mainly in the following enclaves: Barbaón Stream, Garganta del Fraile (Friar’s Gorge), Sierra de Peñafalcón, and Sierra de Santa Catalina, which is the subject of this route.

It makes it possible to visit some of these sites; indeed it is the only route in Monfragüe with this theme. On the visit it is essential to be accompanied by a local guide who will help to locate and interpret the various panels and shelters with cave paintings which are hidden by the quartzite crests of the Sierra de Santa Catalina.

The cave paintings of Monfragüe and the Sierra de Santa Catalina have been dated as ranging from the oldest which are about 8,500 years old (Epi-Palaeolíthic) to the most recent of about 2,800 years old (Iron Age).

It is for this reason that this impressive series has since 2000 been part of the European Prehistoric Rock Art Trails (PRAT), a cultural itinerary which includes the main rock art ensembles of the whole of Europe.