Rincón de la Victoria’s El Cantal caves discovery

NEW research carried out at the Rincón de la Victoria Cliffs suggests that humans occupied the El Cantal caves a lot earlier than is currently believed.

This announcement was made in a statement by Francisco Salado, the municipality’s mayor, along with the team that carried out the investigations, at the closing of the second cycle of conferences on the Prehistoric Caves of Rincón de la Victoria.

Along with other conclusions from almost two years of scientific work, the findings have been compiled in the book ‘Prehistory in the Caves of El Cantal’, published by the Provincial Council of Malaga.

When were humans thought to have lived in the El Cantal caves?

Neanderthal human groups are known to have used the El Cantal caves as a refuge just over 48,000 years ago. However, this new research has advanced that human occupation by another 20,000 years.

‘The last 20 months of scientific work in the El Cantal Caves have led to a significant change in the knowledge and assessment of these Malaga cavities, understood as great containers of the Prehistory of the Bay of Malaga. Like the advance of the chronology of human occupation’, Salado explained.

In the aforementioned book, 41 natural caves and shelters have been inventoried, with 12 of them, located in the upper area. These include the Cueva del Tesoro and Victoria, and another 29 in the area of ​​​​the old railway tunnels and seafront, through which the Senda Litoral runs.