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| our archeologist guide describing the carvings |
We wanted to visit this UNESCO site in the Côa Valley on the banks of the Côa River, a tributary of the river Douro. These carvings, starting from the Upper Palaeolithic to the final Magdalenian/ Epipalaeolithic (22.000 – 8.000 BCE) periods (and even to modern times) document continuous human occupation from the end of the Paleolithic Age. Hundreds of panels with over 5000 animal figures were carved over several millennia, representing the most remarkable open-air ensemble of Paleolithic art on the Iberian Peninsula.
We met at the ultra modern stone built museum (Portugal has such interesting modern architecture) to jump into our old range rover, needed to drive the bumpy dirt roads to our destination.
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| walkway to the museum |
We came to an unfinished dam obstructing a river (the Coa) in the valley. The dam was within months of opening when public pressure, and a newly elected president, shut the project down to preserve the carvings. Over the centuries, locals knew the carvings where there, but didnt understand their significance. When archeologists discovered them, they tried to stop the construction of the dam.
Only when the local high school students got involved and became very organized and vocal with their demands did the media take notice. Upcoming elections proved beneficial to the cause when the lagging socialist candidate took up the cause. He surprisingly won, and the dam construction (a source of graft that resulted in the past president serving jail time) was stopped. Funding came from national and private resources and UNESCO recognition and funding resulted.
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| Dam in distance, deserted equipment and roads on hill. River higher than before dam. |
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| our hilly, dry hike to the rocks |
The dam has remained which has raised the river, covering many rock carvings. In the dry season, archeologists examine those carvings. One of the tours we could have taken is via boat to see more carvings along the river.
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| more 'modern' carvings from 1500s |
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| we saw carvings made over older carvings - no one knows why |
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| best to see at night with flashlights to highlight the carvings |
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| some of the excavated tools |
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| a full carving reproduced with light |
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| stones throughout this region look like wood, used in wineries |
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