The Famous Cave Of Altamira

By Author: Samuel Callum
Total Articles: 26
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The cave of Altamira is one of the most popular places in all of Spain. A lot has been said about this place and a lot of people are yet to visit the area. The cave itself is a distance of some 2 kilometres from Santillana del mar. It is called Sistine chapel fondly. UNESCO has actually named this region a heritage site recognized all over the world. The cave covers an area of some 270 meters in length and also has a number of chambers as well as passages. There is a main passage that has different heights ranging from 2-6 meters.

The cave’s interior has many paintings that are quite large and date back to some 15,000 years. The discovery of the cave was made sometime in the year 1879. The age of the cave was not the only great thing; the quality of the paintings was also something to reckon with. They were well conserved and still are to date.

The main material used in the making of the paintings was charcoal, Ochre as well as haematite to make the paintings look lovely. The pigments were diluted to gain the desired variations as well as intensities to come up with impressions called Chiaroscuro. The natural ...
... contours gave three dimensional effects. The ceiling is very impressive and has a herd of the bison that is currently extinct. There are paintings of horses, a doe as well as a boar in the wild.

There are also some abstract shapes that add to the shapes of the animals. There are even handprints of the artists who were actually responsible for the artworks. They gave them pigment to create some images that are negatives. Many other caves can be found in Spain’s northern regions. Altamira is however the most notorious of all.

Restrictions are imposed on the cave that is original. A very small number of people are allowed in at a time so as to protect the microclimate within. This is important to keep the paintings as they are supposed to be and conserve them.

There is however a cave area called Neocueva de Altamira as well as a museum located here that has no impositions on entry. They are both a way to appreciate those times when there was actually inhabitation within the cave. Neocueva actually is a way to reproduce the paintings that were found in the original cave. The techniques applied are quite identical to those used originally. It is a great place to learn about the history of Altamira and get a great holiday experience.

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