THE village of Benoajan is rightly famed for the caves which are well signposted around the area. South of the village of Benoaján heading towards Cortes de la Frontera, a side road leads off on the right, serving as a carpark. The cave is open all year round. Opening hours from 10:00 to 13:00h and 16:00 to 18:00h (17:00 from October through to March). Prices: Adults (10 people): 8 €. Adults: (More than 10 people): 7 €. Children (5 to 12 years): 5 €. Students (More than 15 people): 5 €. Two guides are normally on duty and they take tours of up to 25 in each group. When there are few visitors, scheduled hours are combined in order to help minimise the impact that the visit has on the conservation of the paintings. As the tours last around an hour, you will have to wait if you miss the guides, who lock the doors to the caves behind them as they set off on the tour. Still, the wait is beautiful, as the benched area looks out across the Guadiaro Valley 670m above sea level.

Reservations:
Groups of more than 15 people (not more than 25) can make a reservation for the first visit (10.00h). Reservations cannot be made on weekends or public holidays or in summer. Tel: (34) 952167343.

Rules to access the cave:
It is prohibited the use any kind of camera, videos, torches and anything else that could harm the cave. Mobile phones must be turned off before starting the visit.

Indoor temperature: 15ºC. It is advisable to wear shoes and clothing suitable for wet and slippery ground.
Smoking is strictly prohibited, as well as the access of animals or any type of food or liquid.
It is forbidden to touch the walls of the cave formations.

It is strictly forbidden to leave any garbage or other material inside the cave.
You should rigorously and strictly follow the instructions given by the staff of the cave. Any violation or breach of the rules empowers the staff to cancel the visit of the cave.
It is advisable not to enter the cave with children under 11 years. The responsibility, if you come with children, is of the parents or the guardian of the minors. It is recommended people with heart problems and limited mobility not to enter the cave.

History

Pileta can mean bowl, sink or trough, though there is no suggestion that the entrance to this cave resembles any of these objects. It is the most famous cave in the area, thanks largely to the prehistoric drawings to be found on its walls, and it attracts a large number of visitors.

Although a nationally protected site, the cave is still owned by the farming family on whose land it was discovered in 1905, and the descendants of its discoverer, José Bullón Lobato, still act as guides to those who scramble the 10 minutes up the steep rocky path from the car park reaches the entrance. Today's entrance was blocked many centuries ago and this opening was only discovered in 1924.

A farmer called Jose Bullon Lobato only found the actual cave system in 1905. He noticed while looking after his sheep that bats frequented the area and then disappeared by dawn. Bat droppings are a good fertiliser and so he decided to find their home, hoping that he could quarry this valuable commodity. He found an opening that led into a number of large chambers, some of which contained a number of markings. He also found pottery and decided that, as this was all rather odd, it must be the work of the Moors.

It was not until 1911 that a retired British Colonel staying in Jimera de Libar discovered the true history of the Pileta caves. Col Willoughby Verner was staying in the area studying ornithology, when he heard about the Cueva de los Leteros. He immediately presumed that this was not the work of the Moors and set out to visit the cave. On entering the various chambers he immediately realised that this was prehistoric and set about recording the finds. His articles brought world attention within prehistory academia. Later visits by academics surveyed the system and the paintings in great detail. In addition they excavated the floor of the caves and found pottery and animal bones.

Being limestone, the cave system was originally an underground river. In dry periods stalactites formed, while in wetter periods the system flowed with torrents of water. This is why many of the cave sides have been worn smooth by the volume of water.

There are two schools of art in the caves. The first dates from Cro-Magnon man, approximately 25,000 years ago in the upper Palaeolithic period. The more common charcoal scratchings are attributed to the Levantene school and contain a number of ZigZags and stick men. Many of these are of archers hunting their prey. The actual paintings are attributed to the Cantabro-French culture and such pictures of a red horse's head, goats and the famous fish can be seen.

The caves are resolutely uncommercialised. There are no set times for the tours. The guide waits quietly until he feels that the visiting group is large enough (fifteen appears to be the minimum) and then he collects the entrance fees, locks the iron gate which guards the entrance (much enlarged since José's time) and, since the cave has no electric lighting, hands out foul-smelling paraffin lamps to a few visitors chosen at random. It is a little like being deputised by the sheriff when the James boys are known to be coming to town. Unlike many cave systems, the Pileta is also unusually warm, so dress accordingly.

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Cueva de la Pileta
Friday, 21 August 2009
THE village of Benoajan is rightly famed for the caves which are well signposted around the area. South of the village of Benoaján heading towards...

© 2012 - Secret Andalucia - Guadiaro Valley, near Ronda

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