Beyond the island’s beaches and resorts, Gran Canaria is brimming with history, a history that we cannot miss for the world.
There are numerous archaeological sites throughout the island that are worth a visit. One of the most famous is, without a doubt, the Cueva Pintada de Gáldar, but we don’t want to forget others such as the Cañada de Los Gatos, Arteara Necropolis, Roque Bentayga Interpretation Center, Cuatro Puertas, El Granero de la Audiencia… In short, it is very difficult to decide on one in particular.
All of them have to spend their time, each one is different, they have their own history and a lot to contribute. Ancient canaries who lived perhaps more than 1,000 years ago, ancient tombs, material witnesses to their daily lives … It is wonderful to be able to witness something like this today!
This time Iberinbound iberinbound@iberinbound.com shows you three of them. We start the route! Let’s go there
Balos signs
Flanking the path by the Roque Aguayro that watches over us all the way, imposing and silent, at the end of the track we already come across the site. There is a fenced part (the protected part) and an unfenced part that we call “hidden Balos” due to the existence of the same typology of symbols that we will see in the protected area.
This area is called «Lomo de los letreros» and yes, it is time to reveal the secret … Here we are going to find engravings and we dare to say that it is the best site in the Canary Islands to study this type of figures and symbols. We will be able to observe anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, geometric figures, plant shapes and alphabetical inscriptions. Even podomorphs!
In the same engravings, lighter, darker colors can be seen, in addition to the so-called Libero-Berber writing that extended in antiquity throughout much of North Africa including the Canary Islands.
Cenobio de Valerón
We are heading to another very interesting site. To go to the Cenobio de Valerón. After entering a mountainous area it appears unexpectedly. Dozens of holes dug in the rock!
The «cenobio» was a barn used by the ancient inhabitants of the area, and the holes are precisely the place where the cereal, mainly barley, was deposited for storage, after which they were closed with large flakes of stone or wood.
Looking closely we can see that there are some larger holes than normal; they were the homes of the barn keepers who lived in the area to scare off potential thieves.
The site holds a good number of secrets: were the granaries publicly owned to store and subsequently redistribute the grain among the population? Or were they private? Were the famous paints marks to determine the ownership of each barn?
Maipés Archaeological Park
As soon as we approach the site we realize that we are facing an overwhelming place, on one side the town of Agaete and on the other more than 500 tombs dating from the eighth to the eleventh century.
A pleasant walk takes us inside the site, where we can almost touch the graves with our hands.
We contemplate tombs of various forms in which the corpse was deposited without grave goods in a moat made in the ground and later covered with large blocks of volcanic stone.
We cannot ignore looking at some of the best preserved tombs, whose size and preeminence make us think that they had to belong to some prominent member of society at the time.
They make us understand exactly not only the funerary aspects of the society of the time but also aspects related to the volcanism, flora and fauna of the place where it sits.
The sun is about to go down, but there are still a few minutes to reflect on the communion between life and death of the people who lived on this island more than a thousand years ago.
Are you really going to miss the archaeological sites of Gran Canaria?
Iberinbound iberinbound@iberinbound.com incoming travel agency in Canary Islands, specialized in Group tours if they are Educational, Students, Leisure , ad-hoc groups, Shorex, MICE.
We are a leading incoming travel agency for Student and Educational Tours providing tailor-made trips at lowest rates. Thanks to our long experience, we have special rates for accommodation and visits for student groups. Each year hundreds of students are traveling with us.
As budget is an important aspect for student groups, we can offer accommodation that fits their needs. We have a variety of hotels and hostels for all destinations and for all ages.
Regarding transport, we use modern, safe and comfortable coaches offering great comfort. Our coach companies have an expensive float of different capacities offering the best rates. We’ll take care of all the details of your excursions (coach, guides, visits, entrances, accommodation), so the students can enjoy the trip and explore the new destination!