La Roca de los Moros

About

With 42 painted figures and 260 features engraved in the rock, the Roca dels Moros (el Cogul, les Garrigues) is undoubtedly one of the most important cave sites in the Iberian Peninsula. The area has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. This area of Les Garrigues has been inhabited continuously by humans since the Paleolithic period. The last hunter-gatherers (10th - 5th millennium BC) left behind paintings known as Levantine art. Later, from the 5th- 2nd millennium BC, Neolithic groups covered up the reliefs in the rock to draw representations of their own beliefs. Researchers have also identified later inscriptions from the Iberian and Roman periods. The uniqueness of the area is displayed above all in the scene known as 'Phallic Dance', a group of women dressed in long skirts grouped in pairs around a man with exaggerated genitalia. This painting is an exceptional representation that reinforces the identity of the rock as a sacred place.

At a glance

• Typical visit: about 1 hour 30 minutes