DESCRIPTION

The rock paintings of Fuenlabrada de los Montes constitute one of the oldest testimonies of human presence in the territory, located on the outskirts of the municipality, in two shelters situated at the base of distinctive quartzite outcrops. They form part of a schematic art ensemble that connects this site with other important centres of rock art in Extremadura.

HISTORY

These artistic manifestations date from around 2500 BC, during the Bronze Age, placing them within a key period of the first organised societies in the territory.
They were discovered by teacher and route guide Miguel Urbina Gómez during research carried out by the Centro de Información y Desarrollo de Extremadura (Cidex), which enabled their identification as part of the schematic rock art ensemble of the southwestern Iberian Peninsula.

HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC DESCRIPTION

The paintings belong to the so-called “schematic type”, characterised by simplified and symbolic representations. In the rock shelters, different types of human figures can be observed, as well as dots and other abstract signs, whose meaning is generally linked to symbolic practices, rituals or forms of social communication.

Their execution on quartzite surfaces and their location within natural shelters correspond to common patterns found in this type of prehistoric manifestation, similar to those present in nearby areas such as Las Villuercas, Monfragüe or La Serena.

RELEVANT FIGURES RELATED TO THE POI

Miguel Urbina Gómez, responsible for the discovery of the paintings within the framework of the research carried out by CIDEX.

MOVABLE HERITAGE

There are no associated movable elements, as these are artistic manifestations created directly on a natural surface.

INTANGIBLE HERITAGE

The rock paintings constitute a testimony to the symbolic thinking of the first human communities in the territory, reflecting forms of cultural expression, beliefs and ways of life that form part of the historical legacy of La Siberia extremeña.