March 23 Guided tour at the site of Neanderthal remains on Cabezo Gordo in Torre Pacheco

Pre-Neanderthal remains have been found at the Sima de las Palomas in Cabezo Gordo

To coincide with a series of European Archaeology Days in June 2024 the Town Hall of Torre Pacheco is offering an extremely well-priced guided tour of the important archaeological site of Cabezo Gordo, where remains left by Neanderthals and even pre-Neanderthals have been discovered in recent decades.

This is one of the most important prehistoric excavation sites in the Region of Murcia, and although the archaeologists leading the tours are Spanish they do speak some English.

Located on the mountain of Cabezo Gordo is the Sima de las Palomas site, where excavations have uncovered valuable pre-human remains dating back to the Neanderthal period, 40-60,000 years ago. Going even further back there are also remains from the inter-glacial period of 120,000-130,000 years ago, which it is believed may belong to pre-Neanderthal humanoids such as Homo Heidelbergensis. Over 150 individual fossilized human remains have been discovered, belonging to 8 or 9 individuals.

There are also bones from lions, panthers, hippopotamus, hyenas, rhinos, horses, tortoises rabbits and birds, all of which lived in this area, and many tools which would have been used by our distant ancestors in the course of their daily lives for hunting, fishing, and processing their prey.

The Cabezo Gordo itself is a mountain of marble, which towers above the plains and was mined extensively for both stone and minerals until 1917.

It's a 10-minute walk up a fairly steep hillside to get to the entrance of the excavations so wear sturdy footwear.

Also included is a visit to the Cueva del Agua, a former mine containing a natural lake and home to 5 different species of bat!

Location

From Torre Pacheco, take the F-22 towards Balsicas, then the F-26 towards Los Alcázares, and then the Camino SIVt1, which is signposted for the Sima de las Palomas. At this point you are heading for the foot of the huge rocky outcrop which dominates the plain.

Booking

Reservations should be made online here or via the tourist office of Torre Pacheco (968 579937). The price is just 3 euros.

The visit begins at 10.00 at the car parking area on the southern side of Cabezo Gordo and lasts for around two hours. Participants must be equipped with a cap, drinking water and a torch.

For more upcoming events go to the What’s On section of Murcia Today.