Inside Cave 6. Risco Caído Artenara

One of the most exceptional aspects of Risco Caído’s archaeology is the representation of a solar and lunar hierophany, inside cave 6, based on images projected by the sun and the moon, that change shape as the days and months go by. The triangular engravings and domes also change their path along the wall where they are represented, like an altarpiece, and might possibly be reference points in the lunisolar calendar. This would begin at the spring equinox when solar images are projected until the autumn equinox. From this moment on and until the next spring equinox, it is the full-moon light, between the months of October and February, that will light up the engravings inside the temple. This ritualised marking of equinoxes and solstices would provide a calendar to regulate farming and production activities, essential for this society’s survival.