Prehistoric beach, Malaga

Malaga resident uncovers thousands of prehistoric remains under a mound on the beach and is hoping to get the area cordoned off for study.

Photographer, Juan María Álvarez, has collected a total of more than 2,000 pieces in recent months in the sand of Sacaba beach, on the outskirts of Malaga. Palaeolithic carved stones, denticulates (saw-like tools), as well as mollusks and animal bone remains from the Holocene period, are some of the hundreds of prehistoric remains that a resident of Malaga has come across in the sand of Sacaba beach.

In recent months, the sand had been dredged to make way for new deliveries to replenish the beach, uncovering the prehistoric treasures. Not a day passes that he does not find something of archeological interest.

Malaga council playing down significance of finds

While the universities of Cádiz and Córdoba are hailing the discoveries as important finds, Malaga authorities are trying to play down their significance. Experts from the two universities point to the historical evidence of Palaeolithic settlements along the Costa del Sol and are seeking permission to have the area cordoned off for further investigation.

More than thirty years experience in the field of archaeological photography has given Juan María Álvarez the knowhow to be able to spot artefacts such as these. He estimates that he has found so far more than 2,000 pieces, including teeth, flint, bones and wood. He keeps the material, perfectly classified and documented, in an office, although his wish is that everything ends up deposited in the Archaeological Museum of Malaga, where there are currently a hundred pieces stored, the first ones he collected.