Cueva de la Pileta: an impressive cathedral-sized cavern with art from the Upper Palaeolithic era

Not even the spectacular geology that awaits you in the Guadiaro valley in this part of inland Malaga province can eclipse the importance that this area has in prehistory. In the municipality of Benaoján, in the Serranía de Ronda, stands one of Malaga's, and the entire country's, greatest treasures. This is Cueva de la Pileta, a cave that is fundamental to understanding the life of the first settlers on the European continent.

With easy access from the road that runs between Benaoján and Jimera de Líbar, this cave system houses extraordinary cave paintings from the Upper Palaeolithic (early Stone Age) period.

The cave, still privately owned, was discovered in 1905 by José Bullón Lobato, a local farmer from Benaoján.

Today its management falls to the fourth generation of Lobato's family.

At the time, this chance discovery represented a revolution in prehistoric art, since it was the first cavern to be formally studied outside the Franco-Cantabrian area (northern Spain from Asturias to Aquitaine and Provence in southern France). In fact, today there are those who call this Benaoján cave the 'Altamira of Andalucía', and not without good reason.

During exploratory work carried out shortly after its discovery, ceramic remains from the period were found, such as a pendant representing Venus, and an important set of cave paintings.

To find the site is easy. Cueva de la Pileta is accessed from the MA-8401 that runs through the Guadiaro valley, some 4.5km from Benaoján, heading west towards Cortes de la Frontera. Road signs indicate the exit for the site and nearby parking.