Risco Caído and The Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria is a unique archaeological monument worldwide. It’s a mountainous center extraordinary in terms of its geographical and geological morphology.
It was the first Canarian archaeological site to be declared by Unesco as a World Heritage on July 7, 2019. Without a doubt, an ideal space for lovers of excursions in Gran Canaria.
With more than 2000 years old, La Cueva de Risco Caído is a temple of the ancient Canarian societies, considered as an astronomical observatory of the time where religious rites were practiced.
One of these societies was made up of populations from the Amazigh cultural orbit (Berber) of North Africa. The Amazigh people are believed to arrive in Gran Canaria around the change of era.
Source: https://www.grancanaria.com
What to visit in the Cueva de Risco Caído in Gran Canaria?
Risco Caído is a place in Gran Canaria that treasures the knowledge of the ancient inhabitants of the island and, where you can appreciate the games of light and shadow used for their calendars and religious rites.
The starting point to visit it is in Artenara and it is necessary to find out on the website of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria to know the available dates. A replica of cave number 6 of the site has recently been opened in this municipality, with a larger capacity and visiting hours to avoid pressure on the original cave.
The beginning of the visit to this cultural landscape starts in the Las Cuevas de Artenara neighborhood, which It is located in front of Barranco Hondo.
The access road to the Risco Caído deposit in Gran Canaria is very narrow and you can see different slopes and curves that open to the side of the road.
Among the main places that can be visited during the tour, which is also ideal for hiking in Gran Canaria, we must highlight the following:
The Barranco Hondo
Barranco Hondo is one of the most spectacular places to visit in Gran Canaria, with approximately 10 kilometers long, this cleft deep into the earth as home barrel cave-dwelling and numerous artificial terraces that were used for the cultivation of cereal and other vegetables.
On the left bank of Barranco Hondo, about 1000 meters above the channel is Risco Caído.
Before we get to this deposit, various geological phenomena produced by erosion can be observed. This place has a large number of artificial caves that were excavated on both sides of the ravine through the centuries.
The space of Risco Caído in Gran Canaria was probably abandoned in the early 20th century. It has approximately 21 artificial caves, among which some were used until a few years ago as houses and others that were used to keep livestock and grass.
Geological strata
On the way to Risco Caído you can see some endemisms that are unique in Gran Canaria, as well as elements with ethnological value such as the ditches that are carved out of volcanic stone.
Caves carved out of the rock
In the center of the site, you can see caves that are under a large cliff or wall showing signs of large rockfalls and even some totally buried caves.
Cave 6
Among the 21 caves that exist in Risco Caído in Gran Canaria, this is the most recognized. It is a ceremonial place with a circular floor and a dome-shaped ceiling with different engravings that stand out especially those pubic triangles that refer to sacred rites about fertility.
With more than 1000 years old, it is considered that this cave excavated in the rock was carved in an almost perfect way, taking into account the tools and materials that the ancient inhabitants of the island had.
In this cave the passage of light can be seen as if it were a solar marking. Furthermore, in the fall and spring equinoxes a ray of light that illuminates the engravings of this place travels through it.
The west wall of the cave is decorated with triangles on which the light that enters its interior is projected.
As the days and months go by, the light that enters it modifies its shape, while along the entire wall it is illuminating the triangular representations and other marks, which acted as with a solar-lunar calendar for the ancient inhabitants of Risco Caído in Gran Canaria.
Source: https://www.grancanaria.com/
Conservation of Fallen Crag in Gran Canaria
For the conservation of the Risco Caído in Gran Canaria, sanitation, cleaning, crack sealing and recovery of pipes in the overhang of the caves have been carried out.
These cares of the Heritage of Risco Caído will help prevent water seepage and other eventualities that influence the conservation and safety of this unique site.
In addition, other tasks have also been carried out, such as the uprooting and clearing in the parts of the land that have presented fractures due to erosion and in which the existing vegetation roots facilitate the absorption of water.
The holes and cracks have been hermetically sealed as well as the removal of rocks of various sizes, paying special attention to those located on the edges of the cornices, and the restoration of channels that prevent rainwater from flowing into the fractures.
The care of Risco Caído in Gran Canaria has as one of the main purposes avoid the erosion of the water on the place where the troglodyte set is located.
Cave number 6 and its aboriginal lunisolar sanctuary and marker is an especial emblematic space of the Cultural Landscape of Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria, and its protection and conservation is a priority for administrations.
Where to stay in Gran Canaria?
If you have decided to visit the site of Risco Caído in Gran Canaria and you still don’t have a place to stay, you can do it in one of the hotels of the Lopesan Group.
We have the best facilities to make you live the luxury of feeling at home enjoying our restaurants, bars and different recreational activities to enjoy your stay.
