A
lot of people thinks in Gran Canaria just as destination of sun, beach and
party. However it’s an island that counts with many interesting resources.
Among them there is the Caves of Valerón. We will tell you more as Canarian Transfer.
What is the Caves of Valerón
The
Caves of Valerón is an ancient collective barn, nowadays it’ s protected as
archaeological park. What makes this pre-Hispanic warehouse different, it’s the
fact that it is excavated in a cave.
It is estimated that its origin goes back more than 800
years. The aborigines who populated the area used stone and wood tools to bore the
rock. Thanks to them, they built about 300 chambers or silos where they use to safely
store cereals of their crops.
The verticality of its walls and the staggered
arrangement of its chambers surprise the visitor.
Where is located the Caves of Valerón
It’s
location is peculiar, considering that the barn is hidden in a steep revain
difficult to reach. This allowed to keep food and other valuables safely.
To
visit it, you should reach the municipality of Santa María de Guía and look for
the Barranco de Valerón. From Las Palmas of Gran Canaria it’s almost 20 Km to there.
Why it’s called Caves
When this site has been discovered, at the beginning people thought that
the cavities were cells of a kind of convent. In the past, the young women of
the nobility were held in convents until marriage. However, later studies refused this
idea, thinking in the function of barn.
What to see in the Caves of Valerón
Arriving
at the site,
the visitor will find a series of holes in the walls. Some of there are individual and others are communicating with each other. The
sizes are different between one and three square meters, approximately.
There are still remains of some stairs that allowed the
access to different parts of the barn. It’ possible to observe also marks of
what could have been doors for each section.
A
part of the structure, by the site it’s possible to find ceramic, human bones,
ashes, idols and other belongings that maybe belonged to the guards of the
barn.
A protected space
In
1974 it has been declared Good as Cultural Interest, in the category of Archaeological
Zone.
Opened
to the public as Archaeological Park, this site belongs to the Net of
Archaeological Parks of Gran Canaria.
Discover the best
of Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria is known as the miniature continent. As Canarian Transfer we know it very well.
For this reason, we offer the best excursions to known the most important
points of the island.
If
you don’t want to miss all what Gran Canaria has to offer, buy our excursions. Among them, the
popular Gran
Tour de Gran Canaria.
Get
the most out of your visit!