The cave of Chufín is located in the town of Riclones in Rionansa (

Cantabria Cantabria (, ; ) is an autonomous community and Provinces of Spain, province in northern Spain with Santander, Cantabria, Santander as its capital city. It is called a , a Nationalities and regions of Spain, historic community, in its current ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Situated at the confluence of the Lamasón and Nansa rivers, several caves ornamented with rock art pock the steep slopes above the water. Chufín is one of the caves included in

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

’s list of

World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

sites under the entry Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain It was discovered by the photographer Manuel de Cos Borbolla, a native of Rabago (Cantabria). In Chufín were found different levels of occupation, the oldest being around 20000 years old. The small cave has some subtle engravings and paintings of red deer, goats, and cattle, all represented very schematically. Also found in the cave were many symbols. One group, called type "sticks", accompanies the paintings inside animals. There are also many drawings using points (''puntillaje''), including one which has been interpreted as a representation of a

vulva In mammals, the vulva (: vulvas or vulvae) comprises mostly external, visible structures of the female sex organ, genitalia leading into the interior of the female reproductive tract. For humans, it includes the mons pubis, labia majora, lab ...

External links

Human Timeline (Interactive)
– Smithsonian,

National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. With 4.4 ...

(August 2016). {{DEFAULTSORT:Cave of Chufin Archaeological sites in Spain Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in Cantabria Caves containing pictograms in Spain Limestone caves Prehistoric sites in Spain Show caves in Spain World Heritage Sites in Spain Paleolithic Europe Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain

See also

External links