Cueva Pintada

The Cueva Pintada was found in 1862 in Galdar, which was a principal settlement of the pre-Hispanic Canarians before the Castilian conquest of 1483: a chamber cut into rock with its walls painted in geometric panels of red, white and black in squares and triangles, the most important example of indigenous Canarian painting known. Around it, excavation from the 1980s uncovered a substantial village of stone houses and artificial caves, and a museum was built over the whole site, opening in 2006, with a raised walkway allowing the excavation to be seen in place. Conservation has been difficult; the cave was closed for decades because visitor humidity damaged the paint, and access is now limited and controlled.

What you actually see

• The painted chamber - geometric panels in red, white and black.
• The excavated village - stone houses and cave dwellings under the museum roof.
• The raised walkway - a route allowing the site to be seen in place.
• The conservation controls - limited timed access to protect the paint.

When to go

Year-round; the museum is indoors and closes on Mondays. Visits to the cave itself are guided at fixed times in small groups and must be booked, with numbers capped for conservation.

Honest expectations

The cave is viewed through glass from a controlled chamber rather than entered, and only for a few minutes. Guided tours are mostly in Spanish. Photography of the paintings is prohibited.

Nearby

Galdar's church and the Agaete valley are close; Las Palmas lies east.