Cave art: El Garrofero Rock Shelter (Navarrés)

Among the many archaeological sites in the municipality of Navarrés, the El Garrofero Rock Shelter stands out thanks to its remarkable interest. It is located under a limestone cornice, which protects a rock shelter with a 23-metre long wall partly decorated with cave paintings and overlooking the right-hand side of the Río Grande. The paintings date to the Neolithic period, specifically to 4,500 BCE, when hunter-gathers living in this mountainous area expressed their beliefs through stylised images and schematic themes. They were discovered and studied in 1972 by Salvador Gómez, Manuel Flores and José Aparicio, archaeologists from the Research Service belonging to Valencia Provincial Council. These paintings, along with the rest of the Levantine Cave Art of the Mediterranean Arc on the Iberian Peninsula, were given World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1998. Thirty figures divided over five areas are preserved, they were subject to an intervention to study and protect them in 2015. They notably include female anthropomorphic figures, archers and depictions of wild goats and deer: which were hunted by the archers. Close to here there are other sites with similar pictorial works such as the Voro Rock Shelter in Quesa.