Risco Caído and Sacred Mountains
At dawn from equinox to equinox, a carved light channel projects the rising sun across cupules and pubic triangles in cave C6 — a calendar temple of Gran Canaria's ancient islanders.
High above the Barranco Hondo near Artenara, in the volcanic heart of Gran Canaria, a cluster of 21 artificial caves served the island's pre-Hispanic people — descendants of North African Berbers — as dwellings, granaries and sanctuary. In the almogarén of cave C6, a channel cut through the domed roof admits the rising sun from spring to autumn equinox, and the full moon in winter, sweeping a blade of light across walls carved with cupules and pubic triangles tied to fertility rites. Identified by archaeologist Julio Cuenca in 1996, the cave anchors a UNESCO cultural landscape inscribed in 2019; the fragile original is closed, but a full-scale replica welcomes visitors in Artenara.
Gallery
Notable Features
- ◦ Cave C6 almogarén: a sunbeam calendar from equinox to equinox
- ◦ Cupules and pubic-triangle carvings linked to fertility rites
- ◦ Full-scale replica at the Artenara interpretation centre