Abrigo de Las Monteses

Town

Jalance (Valle de Cofrentes-Ayora, Valencia)

Information

The Las Monteses rock shelter is on the right bank of the Peña ravine, which cuts through the Jalance mountain range, flowing into the River Cautabán, a tributary of the River Júcar. The cave opens in the south of the central part of a very beautiful natural amphitheatre. The cavity, with a maximum height of 4.43 m, is 7.29 m long and 5.95 m deep, facing south.

The Las Monteses rock shelter is part of a region with similar Levantine art in the central part of the province of Valencia structured by the Júcar’s hydrographic network. In this nucleus, there are also other sites, such as those of the Caroig massif.

This particular site was discovered in December 1977 by forest ranger José A. Pérez Piera. Shortly after the discovery, it was fenced off by the Valencia Provincial Council’s Prehistoric Research Service to ensure its protection. As part of our work to study, conserve and enhance this site, the original enclosure was replaced by a perimeter one, allowing us to see the shelter as its painters saw it and to appreciate its unique twinned morphology. The preserved panel is in the column that divides the shelter in two, and we can identify six Levantine-type motifs: Three human figures, an archer and two shapeless remains.

Aparicio, J. 1990. Covacha de las Monteses (Jalance, Valencia). Cullaira, 2: 7-12.

Domingo, I., Rives, B., Roman, D., Rubio, R. 2013. Imágenes en la piedra. Arte rupestre en el abrigo de Las Monteses y su entorno (Jalance). Ayuntamiento de Jalance, Valencia.