Petroglyphs of La Palma

Rock engravings on the Island of La Palma

Cave engravings, sites, museums, the legacy of the so-called Benahoaritas, the first inhabitants of La Palma, is still present on this Island, the last to be conquered by the Crown of Castile in 1492. 

Although La Palma was one of the first Canary Islands in the attempt at conquest, its orography and the bravery of its inhabitants, left it for last. A feat that is largely due to the Benahoarites, who lived completely camouflaged by nature. In fact, the heart of Isla Bonita, where the National Park of La Caldera de Taburiente is located, was called Aceró, which in the Benahoarita language means Strong Place. 

The rock engravings on the Island of La Palma —Be­nahoare, in the indigenous language— are one of the most abundant, attractive, and interesting manifestations of La Palma’s pre-Hispanic period, which spanned from its first settling at the beginning of the Common Era until its conquest by the Crown of Castile in 1493.

Benahoarita Culture

The sites of La Fajana and El Verde, in El Paso, are two of the most important rock engraving stations on the island. So, the municipality has the “Benehauno” Petroglyph Interpretation Center. There you can admire the archaeological wealth of the Aridane Valley, which is very varied. It has extensive villages of caves and huts, as well as impressive vestiges of a magical-religious nature; almogarenes, sets of canals and cups or stone piles.

The center also has a hundred stations of rock engravings with geometric motifs, concentrated, essentially, on Pico de Benjenao, with outstanding examples also such as those of the Lomo de Tamarahoya and Lomo Gordo. From the center, guided routes are made to rock engraving stations, caving and Salto del Pastor workshops. This was a very widespread practice in the Benahoaritas to quickly descend the very high ravines of the island. It is currently a typical sport of La Palma.

In Villa de Mazo we find the Archaeological Center of the Cave of Belmaco which includes petroglyphs and vestiges of the Benahoarites. This site, discovered in the 18th century, was the first place in the Canary Islands where petroglyphs were found.

With ten natural caves in which rock engravings can be found, this archaeological site has been declared a Historic Artistic Monument. To get there, it is advisable to leave your car in the parking lot, and tour the different sites on foot.

Sources and more: Isla de La Palma – Isla Bonita (external Link) & UNESCO (external Link).

More Photographs around the Canary Islands: BLOG (internal Link).