Cueva de la Pileta, in Benaoján

What it is

A cave in the sierra, beside Benaoján, about twenty minutes from Ronda by car, with Palaeolithic paintings and engravings. You tour it in groups of at most 20 people, by the light of torches, with a guide. Its discoverer was José Bullón.

Opening hours, price and booking

It is open every day of the year. On weekdays there are sessions at 11:30 and 13:00; at weekends and on public holidays, at 11:00, 12:00, 13:00 and 16:00. Each visit lasts an hour. It costs €15 from age 11, €10 for ages 5 to 10 and is free for under-5s. You must book by phone, on 677 610 500, every day from 10:00 to 13:00; without a booking you only get in if there is room in a group. Arrive 20 minutes early or you lose your slot.

Bear in mind

From the car park to the entrance it is about 10 minutes on foot up a steep climb with 101 steps of varying heights. It is not suitable for people with reduced mobility. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes; inside it is cool all year round.

Its history, in brief

The cave's website attributes the discovery to José Bullón and recalls a study campaign in 1912; it also cites the advice that, as it tells it, the prehistorian Henri Breuil gave him: not to let anything damage the cave. That is why visits are still in small groups and by torchlight, with no electric light.

How to fit it in

On weekdays there are only morning sessions, so if you are staying in Ronda, set out in good time and come back to the city for lunch. School or university groups of at least 15 people pay €10 per person. If you go as a family, remember that under-5s enter free, but they have to be able to manage the climb and the steps. Back in Ronda, a quiet afternoon is the Alameda del Tajo at sunset.

What is known about the cave

According to the Málaga Provincial Historical Archive, part of the Junta, José Bullón Lobato, a farm worker from the valley, found it in 1905: he saw bats coming out of an opening, went in thinking of the guano as fertiliser and came upon galleries and paintings. He called it the Cueva de los Letreros; since 1912 it has taken its name from the Pileta hill. Between 1909 and 1910 the English colonel William Willoughby Verner visited it, and in March 1912 Henri Breuil, Hugo Obermaier and other researchers arrived, helped by Tomás Bullón, the discoverer's son. Breuil, Obermaier and Verner published their study in 1915. It was declared a monument in 1924.

The paintings use the three colours of European Palaeolithic art, yellow, red and black, and depict horses, goats, fish and oxen, as well as signs. Human remains and ceramics also turned up in the cave; the best-known piece, the Venus of Benaoján, a Bronze Age idol, is displayed in the Museo de Málaga.